Something Always Brings Me Back To You
by live2write123
Summary: If anyone knew everything about the famous and mysterious Niklaus Mikaelson, the person to talk to was Caroline Forbes. For nine-hundred years spent in and out of the shadows, the day had finally come that she was forced to face her old love once again.
1. Prologue

**live2write123: hey! well, this is my first official story on Fanfiction, and of course it's a Klaroline fanfic because i'm absolutely obsessed with them more then any other pairing on TVD :). i've been thinking about writing one for a while now after reading plenty before, but for some reason it won't let me edit the chapter after i had already posted it. i don't know if it's just my computer or the website, but i hope i don't lose your interest in this story because of my lack in knowledge towards this website. **

**ps: first off, i'd like to ****thank everyone so much who had review, took the time to read and favourite this story! and second, i can't begin to say how sorry I am for the inconveniences. I'm very, very, VERY new at this website and all I ask is for your patience and cooperation, please and thank you! but onto the prologue! enjoy and please leave a review :)!**

**Prologue**

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

Stepping out of the haven from his isolated hut, a young traveler stretched his arms out above his head, and easily snapped his stiff bones back into place. Even after six months of living among a brand new village that was build on the old where no one know what he was and where he came from, he realized that he would never become accustomed to living on the run, in hiding and amongst his wise, stone-faced older brother Elijah and his devoted, naive younger sister Rebekah. After everyone had fled their old village, the three remaining Mikaelson children burned the ruins to the ground. Three centuries later, European settlers had rebuilt a new village on top of it and lived it freely without the knowing the history of this tragic amount of land. But everything was worth the sacrifice. _She_ was worth the sacrifice for his new found fear and discomfort of new surroundings.

He sighed contently to the daylight around him, the cobalt blue sky changing as the blinding orange orb of the sunlight ascended beyond the horizon into the distance. His eyes fell down to the village below him, where his hut was built on top of a hill and separated from the grassy valley where the rest of civilization remains. His home was built at the mouth of the valley, and every morning he would watch the village from above. The village was made up of various livestock pens, smoking fire pits, and a maze of small, deprived huts that were multiplied everywhere. The European villagers were all asleep at this time of morning, but not for long. He personally enjoyed waking up before everyone else, for a particular reason. Simply because he wasn't the only person who was fond of waking up this early prior to when everything started its daily routine.

He easily eyed and singled out one hut among the neighbours around it. He watched a young woman slip out between the curtains of her home, and she tip-toed to the corral of horses beside it. She stroked her white Pinto's mane and fed her an apple before leading her out of the pen, closing the gate behind her, mounting her mare's back and silently walked through the village until she was out of the village, she kicked her horse into a gallop pace and rode off into the thick forest without awakening the villagers. He quickly returned to his hut, careful to not awaken his sleeping siblings, and slid on his knee-high boots, pulled on his leather coat before stepping out of his hut and pursuing the woman into the forest.

By the time he was near her, he remained hidden to the darkness, silent and continued to follow her until she stopped at the watering hole. Her horse obediently stayed by her side after she had dismounted off its bareback. The woman knelt beside the small pond, placing her bow and arrows on the ground next to her before she cupped her hands into the water and drank from them. She was beautiful. She had smooth fair creamy skin, big cobalt blue eyes framed with thick black eyelashes and long wavy blonde hair that reached past her hip. It was normally braided back out of her face, with colourful flowers intertwined into the simple hairstyle. But this morning, it fell freely fanned out around her bare shoulders and back.

Abruptly, she stopped sipping from her hands after the sixth cupful and cautiously looked around her. After a brisk morning breeze encountered her body, playing with her hair, she hesitantly reached for her bow and arrows. In a blink of an eye, she was already on her feet and pointing an arrow directly at his body, who still stood in the midst of the darkened trees. She shot the first arrow, followed by a second into the darkness, fully aware that someone had followed her here and was watching her where her pursuer could not be seen. As always, the arrow connected his and he was easily able to avoid it from piercing his heart. Instead, the first arrow grazed his shoulder and pinned the loose clothing of his jacket to the tree trunk behind him while the second arrow pinned his other shoulder flawlessly to the tree. The woman came to retrieve her arrow and held a sharpened arrowhead, made of stone and as big as a human hand, to his throat. Although he knew that he couldn't be easily killed as a normal human could be, but she was a huntress. She could kill anyone and anything, even him, if she knew how or what he was. Let alone, that he was one of the first vampires to ever exist amongst the world.

"Who are you, stranger?" She hissed through her clenched teeth.

He slowly raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "It's me, Caroline. Niklaus."

Her eyebrows creased together in confusion and barely lowered her weapon from his jugular vein. Not that it would permanently kill him like any ordinary human. "Niklaus? Why have you trailed me here in such secrecy? I could have killed you."

"But you didn't kill me. I knew you wouldn't have killed me without questioning your pursuer." He explained incompletely, cleverly evading her first question.

Caroline sighed, relieved and her body relaxed as her eyes finally adjusted to the brightening sunrise and she stepped back from him to examine him through the darkness.

"You know me so well, don't you? But it's better be safe than be sorry, Nik. I could never live with, let alone forgive, myself if I had succeeded just now."

The corners of Niklaus's lips slowly curved his signature, devilish and dangerously charming smirks. "I cannot help but feel grateful that you would mourn for my death, my dearest Caroline. I did not know my existence has an impact on your guilty conscious."

She rolled her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Nik. How cruel of you to tease me? Are you admitting to me that my life is valueless compared to yours?"

Niklaus gave her an obvious look, stating she already knew the answer. "You know the very reason, Caroline. "Do not make me say it to you, again."

"No, I need to hear it, Nik. I beg you to tell me the truth. For once tell me something you have never told anyone before."

The truth. Something Niklaus hasn't done in a very long time. Even back in his old village where he was raised along with very few good memories and plenty of bad memories, he was never truthful to his neighbours in the villages he lived in for less then a few months. It was just never an option for him and the truth had always ended up hurting people around him, leaving permanent scars behind. Once the truth is revealed, no one can revoke it. Because for once, he wanted to stay in this village as long as he could. He was tired of running away from his avenging father that had hunted them down since the first day he and his became a vampire. He was also tired of meaningless killing for his own personal gain and thirst blood. It only takes a few decades of to grow tired of hunting humans down and draining their bodies of blood until they were forced to move to another village before people would discover the missing villagers. He wanted to start anew, beginning with this life with Caroline.  
"Release me from these restraints." He demanded in a hushed tone.

Instantly but slowly, Caroline stepped forth and broke the arrows binding his jacket to the tree trunk in half while keeping her eyes fastened to his. Once he was free, they continued to stare at each other from a close proximity and enjoyed every second of being physically closer then opposed to at arm's length away from each other, which is the way it had to be in the view of others. It was forbidden for Niklaus to be this physically close to her, he always knew that. Let alone the feelings that grew towards her before he even met her. Ever since day one that he arrived to village and the first time his eyes found hers, he hadn't been able to look away from her again.

Never had he felt this way towards anyone in his life as a vampire. Even after that tragic incident with the woman that almost tore the strong brotherhood between Elijah and himself apart, he was able to find a possible love again. A love that was willing to stay this time.

"What is it that you wish for me to say? Tell me now and I will speak the truth." Niklaus whispered, gazing into her warm eyes.

"Show me, rather then tell me, Niklaus." She urged with anticipation and desperation. "Show me what you feel."

And he did just that. He wrapped his strong arms around her narrow waist and hugged her into his body until it moulded perfectly together with his. His chapped lips found her soft ones and showed her just how much he cared for her. She eagerly accepted his kiss and snaked her arms around his neck. Although she had never told him before or confirmed her feelings to herself, she knew how she felt towards him and how he would be the only person to be able to make her feel this way ever again. No one in a thousand years would fulfill that accomplishment.


	2. Chapter One

**live2write123: hey again! thanks again to everyone who put up with all my deleting this story and then readding this story :( i'm still really new with this site and if ANYONE wants to give me advice about updating, or editing, or anything else related to this website, i'm all ears. please. :)**

**this chapter takes place just as Katherine comes to Mystic Falls in the beginning of Season 2 (The Return). And yes, if you think she and Caroline have a friendship/history, then you'd be correct! one of these chapters i'll write up how they met and became really close friends. enjoy and please review! :)**

**Chapter One: What Lies Ahead**

_**Present Day (Laguna Beach, California - 2010)**_

Caroline Forbes stared up at her old companion, her mouth agape and her eyes as wide as saucer dishes while they watched the back of Katherine Pierce retreating out of the room. She was out of sight by the time Caroline could comprehend the incomplete, but at the same time, thorough, explanation for the sudden desire to leave California. "What do you mean, 'I'm going back to Mystic Falls?" She demanded, pursuing her friend to another room of their gorgeous beach house.

"Did I stutter, Caroline?" Katherine retorted, sarcastically as she walked through the living room, picking up everything her hands could carry before dropping them into her massive suitcase on the living room couch. "I meant what I said. I plan on arriving in Mystic Falls tomorrow evening and staying there for a month or two."

She dramatically rolled her eyes. "Please. You act like I don't know you at all. We've lived together for the past five decades and you still believe you can fool me? I hate to disappoint you, Katherine, but I can see right through you. 'A month or two' sounds a little vague, if you ask me."

Katherine stopped and faced her friend with her arms crossed. "Fine, but I never said that you had to come with me. By the looks of it, no one's forcing you to go anywhere. You can continue to live in this fabulous, Californian beach house. Live your life tanning, swimming, hell snack on a few lifeguards for all I care. But I'm leaving, and there's no way you can stop me."

"Well, I am older than you. I could always compel you to stay."

"Ever since I met you, Caroline, I've learnt and picked up on your tricks. You couldn't compel me even if you wanted to. I've been drinking a little bit of vervain everyday for the past five hundred years. But it's nice to know that you would go to extreme measures to keep me by your side."

"Believe it or not, I care about you, Katherine. You're a sister and we have the same goal. To live our immortal lives as far away from our enemies as possible. And I hate to admit it, but our home and place back in Mystic Falls is not our home anymore. Walking into that tragic little town will bring us out of the shadows. It's the first place he will look for and successfully find us if we return. You do remember the reason why we move around so much, right? Or have you forgotten who would just _love _to torture us until we begged for kindness and ordered the absolute death upon us both to end our prolonged suffering?"

Katherine through her arms in the air, exasperated before sitting down on the couch beside her suitcase. "Of course I haven't forgotten, Caroline! I wake up every morning, thinking and hoping I live another day without the constant fear that he is walking behind me, or that he has different spies reporting back to him of our whereabouts. You should know that more then anyone else in this world. But, to say the very least, you never really betrayed him. You never turned yourself into a vampire to escape a curse that he had waited centuries for to break."

Caroline shrugged, nonchalantly, taking a seat next to her. "I might as be labelled as a traitor to him. I do not work for him nor am I on his side. For a very long time, he believed I was dead and every time he did end up finding me, I would escape as soon as possible and fake my death again. If I was so foolishly blind by my love for him and if I did not see the forever darkness within his corrupted soul, I might have been his devoted partner to this very day. But he must believe you and I are dead. That is how we will always be safe. And I'm sorry, but returning to Mystic Falls does not fall under the category of 'safe'."

"Like I said, you don't need to feel obligated to come with me. There's something I must do, which I cannot admit to you just yet, and you can live the rest of your life here, if you so wish." Katherine said, pulling out her cell phone from her jean pocket and dialled a number before bringing the device to her ear. "Hello, LAX airport? Hi, I was wondering if there was any available, non-stop airline tickets to Mystic Falls, Virginia tomorrow? Perfect, I'd like to purchase one, please."

Before Caroline could even think before her actions, she quickly ripped Katherine's phone out of her hand and pressed it to her own ear. "Make that two tickets. Thank you very much, and have a nice day."

Katherine leaned back into the couch with a content smirk on her face while Caroline ended the call and stressfully raked a hand through her long blonde hair. "Well, I must say that you work well under pressure. And I can't say you don't tend to rush into things without thinking about the consequences."

"I hope you realize that I'm doing this for you. If I stayed here, I'd be restless thinking what would happen to you if he found you in Mystic Falls. As long as you tell me what's really dragging you back there, why wouldn't I go with you? But promise me, Katerina, no matter what happens, we flee when there is any trace of him remotely close to Mystic Falls, okay? I mean it. And we must keep a low profile. I'll stay as long as I have to. But all for one and one for, all right?"

"Yes, I promise you, Caroline. We will leave before and if he ever steps foot into Mystic Falls."

Caroline sighed, harshly while rubbing her temples with her fingertips. "I cannot believe I'm doing this. I never thought I'd return to that town after a hundred years of absence."

"Relax, Care! Think of this as a little vacation, reuniting with a very old friend."

She rolled her eyes before looking around the room. "Well, maybe we should rent this place out. We'd get some money out of it while we're living across the country, reuniting with this 'very old friend' of ours."

"Good idea. I'll go buy a 'For Rent' sign and add our phone numbers to it before leaving it in the front window by the door."

"And while your doing that, I'd better start packing. At least you already have."

Caroline walked away, up the staircase, heading for her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She waited for Katherine to grab her car keys, listening into her feet shuffling towards the front door and closing with a loud click. She released the pinching, useless amount of air from her lungs into a relieving sigh when she was left alone. Caroline couldn't regret her decision on going back to Mystic Falls, let alone show Katherine any apprehension towards the idea of returning to the place where everything began for her.

She could only hope _he _wouldn't make her regret this decision. But, deep down, she knew that it was bound to happen someday. That their paths were bound to cross one day or another. But with any luck, 'one day' wouldn't be any day soon.


	3. Chapter Two

**live2write123: hello fellow Klaroline fans! I don't know about you, but if you've seen the new episode, Before Sunset, OMG you know how I'm feeling right about now. mini spoiler alert!: i'm happy but even more upset/frustrated. -_- i think the writers should REALLY take their viewers into account before they create a new episode and give us want we want! and we want KLAROLINE! :D**

**anywho, onto the story :). this chapter is a flashback scene in Season 2 when Klaus and Elijah are about to meet Katerina (aka Katherine) for the first time in 1492. Little did anyone know that Caroline was also there in secret, watching them from afar and learning any information she could use as an advantage. please enjoy, review and thank you for reading! :D the reviews and favourites encourage me to write more and it gives me reassurance that i'm doing a good job and more importantly, it reassures me that you enjoy each chapter! :)**

**ps. this chapter also explains an idea leading up to the reasons why Caroline had grown to hate Klaus and was always waiting for her opportunity to have her revenge on him.**

**Chapter Two: Over My Dead Body**

_**Flashback (London, England - 1492)**_

The moment she had arrived, she had dreaded ever showing up at this noble birthday party, masquerading herself as a typical socialite to grant immediate permission into the grand castle in all of London. She was indulging herself with a few glasses of red wine and fellow, self-assured noblemen, laughing charmingly at their every petty and desperate flattery to her beauty or paying regards to her long, purple, sleeveless dress. Her hair was shorter then the last time she had seen him, only reaching to her mid-back, but her human maid back at her cottage had French-braided her hair before arriving to the event tonight. But there was a reason she was here. Not to spend one day in the lifestyle of great wine, beautiful dresses and flattering nobles to talk to. And more importantly, she would never deliberately risk herself from being caught in the role of a false noblewoman. Especially if _he _ever found out that she was still alive, he would never grant her freedom ever again.

_"Where is this mystery girl of which you speak?"_

Caroline had easily blocked out the chattering humans in the room and the faint music playing in the background to capture the familiar, British voice of Elijah Mikaelson. He truly was born to be a noblemen of these realms, and from what little time Caroline had learnt from him in the past, he was utterly loyal and clever. Until recently, he and his younger brother had posed themselves as British nobles, throwing a party every night and in search of a special human whom they were desperately struggling to find her location. According to Caroline's research, a lower-class nobleman vampire with the name of Trevor had claimed to have found her and tonight was the night he would present her to Elijah for his own personal gain. Well, let's just say there was a reward for whoever could find this mystery girl that would make any lower-class undoubtedly higher. Financially and socially.

_"Right this way."_

Caroline watched from the corner of her eye from the opposite side of the room as Trevor turned his back on Elijah and led the way to this mystery girl. When they had finally reached her, Trevor introduced the girl as Katerina Petrova, a long-haired brunette with the perfect olive skin tone and big, brown doe-eyes to match her heart-shaped face. She was beautiful in her long burgundy gown, looking admiringly at Elijah as he kissed the back of her hand after she had curtsied to him out of pure respect. Caroline quickly studied the human girl from head to toe before turning to continue her rambling conversation among the young noblemen. But for the most of her meaningless banter, she kept her ears pried to the conversation between the three.

"Where is this mysterious host I have heard so much about?" Katerina asked, curiously and slightly flirtatiously.

"Fashionably late." Elijah explained, incompletely. This comment made Caroline snort back her laughter and resist the temptation to role her eyes. Knowing the man she once knew and loved, he was merely in his room upstairs, drinking from the neck of a naive and compelled woman that had disappeared from the party earlier tonight. "He likes to make an entrance." He added.

_Indeed he does._ Caroline thought to herself in agreement.

Only for a moment did Caroline's undead heart had stopped the blood flow in her body. "Here he is." There was no need for Elijah's declaration to his brother's delayed arrival to his own party. She could feel his presence even though she desperately attempted to ignore it. The entire atmosphere had changed for her in an instant. But she couldn't get distracted. Not tonight. Tonight was about Katerina and to find out what was this new, mysterious obsession he held towards this mortal girl. But the fact that he was here, in the same room as her, she felt as though it would be her last night if he ever found her here. He would either, imprison her, question her and never let her go again or kill her at first for disappearing, faking her death, and never making an appearance to him sooner.

"Katerina," Elijah began the formal introduction, "may I introduce to you, the Lord Niklaus?"

Sensing the girl's fear, she slowly curtsied while his eyes followed her every moment. She was intrigued, but also frightened at the man's handsome facial features. Caroline had been there, done that. He gently picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissed it as his eyes alluring bore in hers. "Niklaus was the name my father gave me. Please," he hesitated as he dropped her hand out of his grasp and the famous devilish smirk played on his lips, "call me Klaus." The same smile Caroline had fell for countless times in the past.

By the time the party was halfway over, Elijah had left Katerina with Niklaus, bidding them farewell and wishing his brother a Happy Birthday, after Niklaus had requested 'a moment alone with her'. Caroline sat, alone and tediously, at one of the tables, sipping small amounts of her fiftieth silver chalice of red glass, looking through the crowd of conversing nobles until she found a woman that was discreetly escaping from the stairs Niklaus had descended from. If she was going to stay here longer then she had hoped for, she quickly finished her drink and followed the servant girl outside into the darkness.

Caroline crept up behind the girl and wrapped her arms around her, covering the girl's mouth with one of her hands while her arm refrained the girl from struggling out of her bizarrely tight grasp.

She quickly spun the maid around and faced her, looking into her eyes and compelling her instantly. "Do not be afraid of me, do not scream or run from me. Are you a maid of the Lord Niklaus?" She hated using his fake title. It burned her tongue as if it was vervain, but it was necessary in this situation.

The girl slowly nodded. "Yes." She responded, distantly.

"Do you feed him your blood regularly?"

"Yes." The girl answered with the same tone.

"Okay, now I want you to listen me. Heed my every word. Tonight, after everyone has left this party, I wish for you to go to his chambers when he has requested you for blood. But when he has finished, I want you to listen to every word he discusses to his brother, the Lord Elijah. Only if he allows you to stay in the room. Tomorrow morning, find me in this forest and report back to me every word that you have heard. But under any circumstances, do _not_ tell him about me. If you are allowed to remain in the room, do _not_ make anything out of the ordinary or obvious to him about this agreement, okay?"

"Yes, I will not tell him a single word of this agreement."

"Thank you, now if anyone asks why you were outside, you needed fresh air."

"Yes, I needed fresh air."

"Good, and by the time you get inside, you will act normally."

"Yes, I will act normally."

"Now leave."

Without another word, she turned around and slowly walked to the doors of the castle before disappearing behind them. Caroline smirked evilly to herself, admiring the castle from the outside. If he wouldn't talk of his plans tonight and in front of everyone, she would have ears on the inside to discover his strategy and reason for his sudden interest to a human girl. Without a second glance, Caroline disappeared into the night, vowing to know what he had up his sleeve.

The following morning, Niklaus's maid had reported back to Caroline in the forest. The only difference was that it was daylight, Elijah had chased Katherine around the outskirts of the castle's garden, in order to keep her preoccupied after Niklaus had failed to return from the night. And when he finally did, the collar and front of his shirt was bloodied in patches. He lied and claimed a wrong village picked a fight at the tavern. But like every night, he had spent the night at a local brothel, indulging himself in the presence of compelled prostitutes who would just _die_ to gain a minute of his worthy attention. It made Caroline sick to witness the beast he had become after so many years.

Niklaus's maid had discovered that he had etched a scroll, indicating a certain ritual that he had wanted to perform for centuries to break a curse of some sort but couldn't because he never gained the last ingredient to the ritual. For her second demand, Caroline had the girl trade clothes with her and to hide and wait until she returned. Caroline dressed herself as an ordinary maid in Niklaus's maid's place just in case a staff member caught her in the halls. Niklaus was busy with Katerina and Elijah had left to town for business. The castle was practically empty. She had tiptoed into his chambers, looking through every scattered piece of parchment and making sure she hadn't moved anything from its exact spot, until she found a Roman parchment. Luckily, she could easily understand every word.

It read of exactly what his maid had stated, but this was more in depth. It was indeed a ritual to break an thousand-year-old curse that was placed onto Niklaus by a very powerful witch immediately after he was changed into a vampire. It revealed what Niklaus truly was and how he could be his true self once again if he simply followed this procedure. A half-vampire, half-werewolf mixture. Caroline had never heard of such a strange and unique creation to walk this earth, but it appears that, according to this parchment, Niklaus was a cross between the vampire and werewolf gene, but something was stopping him from completely the ritual. And somehow, it all made sense now. Three deaths and three blood types were essential to break this curse. And one of the three deaths and blood types involved Katerina Petrova, the missing link that Niklaus would need to break his curse. In the end, all of this was for his personal gain. Death. Blood. All of it was for him to restore himself to his original form. But over Caroline's dead body would she let that happen.

That night, when Niklaus and Elijah were about to retire for the night, Caroline had Niklaus's maid to steal a servant's clothing and to give it to her as her last demand before erasing the girl's memory of their association together. Caroline had no intention to directly listen into their conversation by being there with them in the room, but when the time had come, Caroline stood outside their study and through the thin doors, she quietly eavesdropped.

"The moon is full tomorrow, brother." Klaus announced, triumphantly. "After all these centuries, it is finally time."

"I have been to see the witches." Elijah explained, casually. "They believe they have found a way to spare the doppelganger."

"What does it matter if she lives or not? She's a means to an end, that is all." Klaus said, coldly.

"What, she should she die for your gain?"

Klaus continued to speak poorly of humans. "She is human. Her life means nothing."

_"How amusing," _Caroline thought to herself. _"The last time I had been in the life of Niklaus, he was rather fond of the lifestyle of humans. But that was ancient history ago. And people change. He certainly had."_

But Elijah, the desperate man to make everyone happy out of this situation, was persistent to change his brother's mind. "I beg you consider this."

After a moment a silence, Klaus whispers softly, "are you so foolish to care for her?"

"Of course not." Elijah dejected instantly, although his voice had a trace of dishonesty.

"Love is a vampire's greatest weakness," Klaus murmurs once again as his words clenched at Caroline's heart, "and we are not weak. We do not feel, and we do not care."

"We did once." Elijah opposed, sadly.

"Too many lifetimes ago to matter. Tell the witches not to bother. The sacrifice will happen as planned." Klaus said, taking his leave into his chambers.

Refusing to allow the burning tears behind Caroline's eyes, she fled out of the castle, through the thick forest and into her cottage. She buried herself into her bed and cried herself to sleep, his words burned her ears as they echoed throughout the walls of her memory. She now truly believed that there was no-point in saving Niklaus's evil soul, a life that clearly does not wish to be saved any time soon. However... there was still Katerina Petrova, the innocent's life who was worth saving. And if it was the last thing Caroline Forbes ever did, she would be the one to ruin Niklaus's plans to ever kill another human for his own gain. She would never allow it again. Not after the destruction and bloodshed he had caused to her village centuries ago.


	4. Chapter Three

**live2write123: i'm probably the WORST uploader in fanfiction history! i know i keep on deleting this story and re-adding it, but it's only because of two reasons:**

**- one: i'm a MASSIVE perfectionist and editor and if i see something i made a big mistake on or i want to change something, i want to simply edit it but i cant, which leads me to reason number two...**

**- and two: for some reason my editor on my account never works. it says it made the changes but it NEVER does and it makes me more aggravated that i can't edit it so i delete it and repost it. i'm really sorry for this, but your support is fully appreciated. don't take out my lack of knowledge of this website on my story! if you like it, i'd really appreciate it if you would continue to read, review and favourite :3. thank you so much, enjoy and please review :)!**

**ps. this chapter is based off of around the time Damon had just kissed 'Elena' (but as well all know, it was really Katherine) and after the kiss, he goes to the Mystic Grill to find a familiar face from his past. **

**pss. i need to clear something up. since Caroline is a 900 year old vampire in this story, i feel obligated to create a new character in her place since Caroline's character in the series started to expand after she was turned into a vampire, which happened in the early episodes of season 2. i'm thinking about it, but tell me what you think. should i create a new character for this story or just avoid it altogether? please state your opinion on what i should do. :)**

**Chapter Three: Hello, Old Friend**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline could never forget the feeling of returning home, stepping forth into the tragic little town called Mystic Falls. This was the very beginning for her and every moment that occurred here, they were forever stored away in her memory like a photographic album. By the time she and Katherine's plane had landed in Virginia, it was already dusk and the sun had fallen behind the horizon an hour or two ago. The first thing she realized that _he _wasn't currently present, wreaking havoc of this fragile town. The air she breathed in and out of her lungs was clear and fresh for the first time in a long time since she had ever stepped into Mystic Falls. But that didn't stop the fact that there were still vampires crawling amongst the oblivious humans of this town. The vampires of Mystic Falls were bound to be yanked back to this place, the birthplace of all vampires. Caroline knew the feeling, she could never wander away far long enough, withstanding the magnetic pull, until her guard was down enough to drag her back.

"It's as if we never left, isn't it, Care?" Katherine said, riding shotgun of the black 1970 Dodge Charger while Caroline drove the car to the most decent hotel they could stay at until they could rent out a temporary apartment.

Caroline sighed. "I couldn't agree with you more. But did you _really _have to compel that guy at the airport? He's going to wake up tomorrow and realize that his fifty-thousand-dollar automobile is suddenly gone with no trace of recollection of what happened to it."

"Oh, Caroline. You worry too much. You know, for a vampire that's nine-hundred-years-old, you're always so tense and anxious all the time."

"I have a lot to worry about, Katherine. One day I could be undead and living to see another day or I'll have a stake through my heart and my body will end up at the bottom the ocean somewhere."

"Well then, think of this as a vacation before we run back to California, okay? Long before he ever returns, and _if _he ever returns. We've been over this conversation for the entire day. On the way to the airport in California, on the plane ride to Mystic Falls, and now this. Please, for me, let's just have a great time in the town that use to be ours. I promised you that we would leave if he even finds us. Now I want you to promise me that we'll always stick together and that you'll forget about this paranoia you feel about returning here, okay? I know this place means a lot to you, but try to understand why we're here. I'm not here to get ourselves killed."

"I know you're not. But I will agree to your promise. I'll forget about being this anxiously paranoid little girl and become the enjoyable, high-spirited Caroline you know and love. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic. Now, let's create some damage."

"With a low-profile, right?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't think of it any other way. It adds more suspense to the situation."

When the night sky had fallen over, Caroline was finishing her shower and Katherine had completed unpacking her suitcases. They agreed to have separate hotel rooms just in case particular compelled men came by for a late night snack in the middle of the night. Katherine had claimed she has 'business' to tend to, and Caroline didn't request an explanation from her. She learnt that the hard way. Over the centuries, Caroline learnt that Katherine hated, more the anything, was to tied down or questioned for her motives. Even though Caroline was much older then Katherine, she refused to lay down constant rules and punish her for her actions. Caroline was a strong believer in freewill and she would never take that away from her. Because she knew that if her freewill was forcibly removed, she would lose Katherine's friendship and respect altogether, which wasn't worth losing in exchange for her cooperation.

"I'll be back later tonight," Katherine said as she finished curling her hair and sliding on her dark denim jacket. "But don't tell me you're going to stay here and wait up for me, because I can't exactly tell you when I'll be back."

"No, I'm going to go out soon enough as well. I'll find a supply of entertainment in this miserably dull town."

"Well, whatever you end up doing, remember to cover up your tracks if you decide to drain the poor boy."

"I will, if you remember to keep a low-profile, okay?"

"Yes, yes, I promise. Now let's look forward to spending this vacation together and dropping the idea to bring up the agreement, deal?"

"Deal. I'll be seeing you, preferably tomorrow."

"_Au revoir_." She said, cheekily with a small wave before disappearing behind the front door.

Caroline rolled her eyes, walking through the door that attached the two hotel rooms together, leaving Katherine's room and entering her own. She jumped onto her bed, laying sprawled out onto the surface before turning on the TV to a very old, black-and-white movie. It was some unfamiliar film about old myths towards supernatural monsters of the night. It reminded her of the time in Mystic Falls, over a century and a half ago.

_**Flashback (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 1864)**_

"Miss Katherine, tell me why I have returned to this town?" Caroline Forbes demanded harshly as they rode in a horse drawn carriage to an unfamiliar destination. It was a miserably stormy day in Mystic Falls, the sun had not risen and a sheet of grey had swarmed over the sky in Virginia. But at this particular moment, Caroline was too distracted to worry about the weather. Currently, she was rather irritated at her friend's actions to return to this town.

Katherine sighed, sharply and aggravated. "I do not need to explain myself to you, Miss Caroline."

"You are fully aware of my feelings towards this place after everything I have told you regarding my past. There is too much of a history behind the surface of this town for me to make a reappearance. We could have gone anywhere, why Mystic Falls?"

"Something is pulling me here. I must discover what it is." She explained, incompletely.

"Whatever you have planned up your sleeve, I better not end up dead because of your little games, Katerina."

"As always, Caroline, you are truly the wet blanket on our every travel across the country." Katherine snapped back at her before pleasantly looking over at the young girl sitting beside her and smiling at her. "Luckily, I have Miss Emily to accompany me and to keep me sane from this old pessimist."

Abruptly, the carriage came to a stop in front of a massive white manor. The door to the carriage opened and Emily was the first to be helped out of her seat. Katherine shot Caroline a serious look that had clearly had stated: _do not ruin this for me_. And then with the flick of her head towards the opened door, Caroline followed Emily outside, staring down at the young boy who stood outside the front door of his home with his hands tucked behind his back.

Katherine was the last to exit the carriage, she had her eyes glued onto the boy in his tan, knee-length jacket. At first, Caroline believed that Katherine would end up killing him and his family from some mysterious massacre in order to gain their marvellous estate and vast land. But by the look in Katherine's eyes, Caroline could see the similar passion buried beneath her friend's facial facade. She recognized the excitement for the reason that Caroline felt the same way centuries before towards her true love. The man she and Katherine were currently avoiding at all costs.

The boy could not have been a day over twenty, but definitely over the age of sixteen. He had slowly stepped forth from his home to greet his visitors. He had soft features, a strong jawbone, predominant cheekbones, beautiful emerald green eyes, and sandy blonde hair in a stylish cut. "You must be Miss Pierce." He welcomed, sweetly.

Katherine smiled before offering her hand. "Please," she said softly, "call me Katherine." She curtsied, politely.

Without a second thought, he took her gloved hand and brought it to her lips. Caroline bowed her head out of respect before he introduced himself as Stefan Salvatore and led the three ladies inside for a tour of the house. Caroline knew that Katherine wanted to stay here for awhile. She had another plan to execute, leaving Caroline in the dark again. But if Katherine managed to create a fake story to keep their identity away from the humans, Caroline refused to object. Katherine wanted to stay for longer then their usual trips across the country of hopping one town to another. And staying, they shall do.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline found herself walking through the doors of the overpopulating Mystic Falls Bar and Grill. If she was going to live amongst the current civilization of this town, she would at least try to live like one of them. She walked through the crowd, her heels clacking against the wooden floorboards until she reached the bar on the opposite side of the room. She leaned her elbows against the bar counter, waiting until the bartender smiled flirtatiously at her and approached her. "Hey beautiful, what're you having tonight?"

She easily turned off her nine-hundred-year-old vampire mind and flipped to a side where she acted like the age she appeared to be: a seventeen-year-old teenager. "I think I'd like an apple martini, please and thank you."

Caroline discovered that if she smiled and flirted her way to gain an alcoholic beverage of it in a public place, the bartender would be too smitten to realized how young she appeared. But there was always the expected night where they demand to check her ID. But luckily, according to her fake ID, she was twenty-two and legal to drink freely in the United States.

He smiled. backing away from the counter. "Coming right up."

Caroline winked his way before twisting around her body in the bar stool to scan the room. Underage teenagers were playing games of pool and darts, laughing and joking around like normal seventeen-year-olds should. It was something Caroline never had and never would. Nine-hundred years and never once did she understand a normal high school experience. It was amusing to see ordinary, unaware teenagers to live their lives as if there isn't a trouble in the world. As if they weren't surrounded by a bunch of undead, bloodthirsty monsters that snack on humans everyday. 'Animal attacks'. What a petty excuse to cover up a vampire trail.

"An apple martini for the lovely lady." The same bartender's voice came to her ears, ripping her away from her thoughts towards the happy-go-lucky teenagers. She turned around in her seat and thanked him for the drink before sipping out the delicious green substance. Her vampire senses were high on alert as she heard the bell above the front doors chime, indicating that someone had entered the room. She remembered this presence before, but she felt relieved it wasn't _him_ to crash the party already.

"Bourbon on the rocks." His alluring voice told the bartender after he had sat on the opposite end of the bar. While the familiar vampire waited for his drink, Caroline stopped the bartender, telling him to give his customer two drinks instead of one and that the second glass of bourbon was on her. When his drinks had been served, he questioned the second drink. The bartender pointed in Caroline's direction. And the persuasive silver-grey eyes of Damon Salvatore widened once his sights landed on Caroline as he remembered her instantly.

_**Flashback (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 1864)**_

It had only been three days since Caroline and Katherine had been taken under the care of Giuseppe Salvatore and his two sons. Unfortunately, his eldest son, Damon, was currently occupied with his participation to defend his country in war as a solider. Once again, Caroline was stuck inside the Salvatore Estate while Katherine pulled on her charm, spending her long days with the younger Salvatore brother, Stefan. She found herself effortlessly descending into sheer boredom if she did not find something to keep herself busily entertained. With the Lockwood Founders Ball around the corner and arriving any day now, she needed an escort if she was attending alongside Katherine.

While visiting inside the Salvatore library, she had come across an old picture beautifully mounted by a gold frame. There were four figures: a man that resembled a younger version of Giuseppe with a young woman standing beside him while their two son sat in front of them in a small loveseat. One was evidently Stefan Salvatore, sitting in front of his proud father while assumingly Damon was seated in front of his now deceased mother. He had black hair, wearing a formal suit and his gloved hands were knitted together on his lap. He easily resembled his mother, who had long black hair that was pinned back into a complicated style. She was indeed beautiful, leading Caroline to wonder how her human life was cut short. But Caroline would never pry, reopening the wounds that this family had healed together over the years.

Suddenly, the two massive white doors opened. Caroline felt as if she was caught in a lie or doing something she shouldn't be doing. It was the boy in the photograph. Damon Salvatore, wearing his grey soldier uniform and cap. He must have just returned from the war moments ago.

"Oh, forgive me." He said briskly after studying the blonde woman. "I thought my father was in here."

"No, I am sorry. I was returning a book I had finished borrowing from Mr. Salvatore."

"Are you the woman staying with Miss Katherine?"

"Indeed, have you already met her?"

"Yes. She is outside with my brother."

"My name is Caroline Forbes, and you must be Mr. Stefan Salvatore's older brother, am I correct?"

He nodded, respectfully removing his cap before walking towards her with an outreached hand. "My name is Damon. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Caroline smiled, kindly. "And you," she whispered as Damon kissed the knuckles of her gloved-hand.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline raised her martini glass towards him and smiled at him with a knowing look on her face. "Good evening, Damon," she acknowledged him before sipping from the rim of her glass.

"Caroline." He whispered, still very bewildered at the sight of a woman from his past. He knew that if Caroline Forbes was here in Mystic Falls, then Katherine Pierce wouldn't astray too far from her side.


	5. Chapter Four

**live2write123: oh my gosh, thanks again for the reviews and favourites! i love them and they REALLY, REALLY make my day like a Taylor Swift song does after a bad break-up :'). i truly can't thank you enough for the time you've put into reading this story :). but other then that, i don't have much to say, so onto the chapter. enjoy and please tell me what you think by sending in a review. :)**

**ps. this chapter continues where the last left off. after Damon and Caroline had finished their brief interaction, she does a lot of spying (which is what she had always been the best at doing) at the hospital and other places to pick up on what had happened since she had been away after a strange car accident had happened involving three teenagers.**

**pss. i've decided to put in the new character in the-tv-series of Caroline's place and into the story to keep that 'Matt-Caroline-Tyler' arising love triangle from the series alive. meet Allison Young. she has the same characteristics as the Caroline in the tv series. She is a bubbly redhead, was used by Damon, the Sheriff's daughter, head of numerous committees at her school, Miss Mystic Falls, Matt's current girlfriend, and is currently laying in a hospital after a car accident with Tyler. i really thought about just going with the flow with this story but then again, Caroline's character in the series has grown way too much to this very day to ignore it. so, i hope i don't get into trouble about this but anywho, onto the chapter :) enjoy, review, favourite until your heart's content! :3 :D**

**Chapter Four: Liar, Liar**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

"Dare I ask why you're back in Mystic Falls?" Damon Salvatore asked after Caroline had moved closer to him and sat in the empty bar stool beside him.

"What can I say? I have a weakness for tragic little towns."

"You and me both, honey." He muttered.

"How's life on the inside while I've been absent?"

"Nothing worth repeating, I can assure you." Damon admitted, tediously. "Now answer me, what are you doing here?"

"I've already answered that question, Damon."

"Don't make me repeat myself, because this conversation could last all night."

"Fair enough. But unfortunately for you, I'm not entirely sure why I have returned. But I promise you that there won't be any bloodshed on my hands."

"I hate to break it to you, but you have a tendency to have a little lap dog following your every move."

"Oh, you must be referring to Katerina. Who knows? Maybe she is here with me, maybe not. You see, Katerina and myself also have a tendency to fight and part our ways for decades. No one can really tell when she and I will ever make up or not."

"And have you kissed and made up with her recently?"

Caroline shrugged, nonchalantly. "Now, why would I confess that? I'm simply passing through Mystic Falls all by myself. Rest assured, I'll be gone in a few days. Possibly by next week, if you're lucky. Now, if you continue with this investigation, I cannot guarantee that I will not kill someone at my first sight if you dare infuriate me. We both know I'm capable of murdering every single person in this room in a matter of seconds and there's nothing you could do about it. So, if I were you, I'd make me feel welcome during my stay here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take my leave. You're welcome for the drink. Let's do it again, shall we?"

Damon helplessly watched her leave, grumbling curse words below his breath. Caroline was never the one to be ordering threats and throwing lives around as if they were nothing. She adored human life and respected their existence, regardless of her envy towards their normal lives. But knowing Damon Salvatore, he responds more efficiently towards direct intimidation and aggression. Caroline learnt that after watching his cruel and heartless ways from afar concerning human life during his early vampire years. Caroline walked to her car, unlocked the doors and slid inside. She drove out the parking lot, agreeing that it had been too risky to reveal herself to another familiar face when she was suppose to be keeping a 'low-profile'. But on the bright, only he and his brother, Stefan knew her from their past. She was still keeping a discreet vacation intact, merely hoping that Katherine had not made a grand appearance already, which she had always favoured doing so on a regular basis within society.

She was currently driving down a less-eventful road until she was forced to stop by three police cars blocking her way to drive through with yellow caution tape surrounding the area. Caroline pulled her car over to the side of the road, yanking her car keys out of the ignition and walking towards the police officers. "Excuse me, officer? May I ask what has happened here?" She asked the closest officer she could talk to.

"There has been a car accident." He said, stating the obvious while staring down at his clipboard.

"Who was in the car? Are they okay?"

The middle-aged man looked up and into her eyes. "Ma'am, this is private investigation. I'm not allowed to give out confidential information to outsiders. Now, you can go back into your car and find another way to your destination. There's nothing to see here."

"I'm going to ask you again," Caroline said in a stern tone as she went for plan B: compelling the information out of him, "who was involved in this accident?"

"Three teenagers." He answered with his eyes slightly widened and his tone was distant.

"What happened?"

"The teenager driving had lost control of the car and crashed it into the wall."

"Any injuries involved?"

"One of the passengers fainted and the ambulance took her away. The other passenger suffered from a broken arm."

"Thank you for this information. Continue your investigation and forget this conversation."

She quickly turned around, got back into her car and drove a U-turn to drive towards the hospital and away from the accident. It didn't happen on a daily basis where teenagers deliberately crashed their vehicle into a wall. Something strange had occurred tonight, and Caroline was hell-bent on figuring out just what had happened.

Once Caroline arrived at the Mystic Falls Hospital, she 'burrowed' a nurse's uniform from the storage closet and posed as a typical nurse to eavesdrop on any conversation that was regarding the car accident. It didn't take her long to find the boy who had broken his arm. He was sitting on the bench alone outside a private hospital room, his left arm thickly wrapped in a new cast to reposition the bones back together. He had short ash-blonde hair, a muscular body for a human boy, and looked utterly exhausted in every shape and form. A girl around his age approached him, with dark brown hair and dark eyes with smooth, brown skin. Hiding behind a wall, Caroline picked up on their conversation using her superhuman hearing. One of the many gifts of being a vampire.

_"How's Alison?"_ The girl asked, slightly out of breath.

_"She's not good, Bon." _The boy answered, his tone was just as tired as he appeared to be.

_"What happened?"_

_"We were driving," _He began as he struggled to explain the situation, _"and Tyler heard this noise and he got-"_

_"A noise?" _The girl interrupted while he rubbed his face, tiredly.

_"He got this migraine or something and he lost control of the car and... I-I thought Alison was fine and then... and then she wasn't so..."_ His voice trailed off while his friend continued to sit next to him, staring off into space.

Somewhere nearby, bits and pieces of a new conversation between the sheriff of Mystic Falls and ironically, Damon Salvatore's voice, came to her ears. _"Mayor Lockwood is dead. They thought he was a vampire. They put him in the basement."_ The middle-aged sheriff whispered.

_"Mayor Lockwood was a vampire?" _Damon asked, faintly stunned.

_"No, no, no. A mistake was made_," The sheriff dejected instantly, _"they said he dropped like the others when John's device went off, but he couldn't have been a vampire. I've known him my life and now Carol Lockwood is gonna want answers and all I can think about is Alison and..._"

The woman began to cry again and Damon embraces her, putting up his facade as a normal citizen while he comforted her, which had made Caroline's stomach churn that he had pulled off fooling the head of police in this town. She doubted no one knew their true identity. Caroline picked up on the continuation of the conversation between the teenagers down the hall. The boy had left to check up on the unconscious girl in the room, leaving the dark-haired girl waiting outside.

_"Bonnie. How's Alison?" _A very familiar voice approached Caroline's ears and she resisted the urge to peek past the corner of the wall she was hiding behind to discover who she was.

_"She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it."_

_"What? Is there something that you could do? A spell or something?"_

Caroline was shocked, but it was also normal, to come across a witch in this town. Suddenly, Damon had left the sheriff and joined into the conversation.

_"I can give Alison some blood." _He recommended.

_"No, no way." _The familiar voice refused.

_"No, just enough to heal her. She will be safe in the hospital and it will out of her system in day. She will be better in a day, Elena."_

After Elena had refused again, unable to take that risk, the witch named Bonnie urged Damon to give the dying girl his blood. _"We can't let her die. Do it."_

_"If I do this, you and me, call truce?"_ Damon offered, sweetly.

_"No."_ The wise witch said. _"But you'll do it anyway, for Elena."_

Interesting. Now, Caroline knew that Damon was smitten with this Elena girl, considering he will do anything for her. After the witch had left, they engaged into their own private conversation. _"When were you at the house?"_ Elena asked, confusedly.

_"Really? Earlier, on the porch, we were talking, exposed our feelings, come on, we KISSED Elena!" _He hissed harshly the last statement, desperately trying to make her remember.

Bewilderedly and curiously, Caroline decided to finally take peek at the mysterious Elena. She gasped at the sight of her. She looked _identical _to Katherine. Even her loosely-curled hair and her dark outfit resembled the same as Katherine's. Caroline decided leave the hospital. For now. She changed out of the nurse uniform, into her normal clothes and waited in her car. Barely five minutes later, Damon was leading Elena out of the hospital before disappearing into his car and leaving the parking lot. Caroline made the decision to carefully trail their vehicle to their destination. Once she ended up in a neighbourhood and a couple houses away from the driveway Damon had parked his car at, she waited until they were inside and then sneaked up the driveway and behind the closed front door, listening to their conversation from the outside. Caroline found it slightly shocking that Stefan Salvatore was involved with Damon's life again. Last time she checked, they absolutely loathed each other and their existences after what Katherine had done to the strong brotherhood the possessed as humans.

_"What happened?"_ Elena asked Stefan.

_"Katherine happened." _Damon muttered, regretfully.

Moments later, they must had walked further into the house because their voices became more distant then before to Caroline's ears, but just as audible as before, while they continued their conversation. _"What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?" _Stefan asked, 'she' referring to as 'Katherine'.

_"We... kissed."_

_"And you thought it was me?" _Elena asked, distastefully.

As Caroline had predicted, Stefan reacted and Elena stood in between the two brothers before they destroyed her house, and, more importantly, each other. "_Stefan, wait. He kissed Katherine, not me."_ She stopped to most likely look at Damon. _"I wouldn't do that."_

Ouch. Caroline couldn't help but feel Damon's rejection, however, simultaneously, she felt proud over the mysterious-Katherine-look-alike. She was indeed a wise girl to avoid Damon's tempting advances. But that still meant something had definitely had transpired tonight, more then Caroline would ever suspect or predict. Katherine had kissed Damon Salvatore earlier tonight, posing as her look-alike, and then presumably, started a fight with Stefan moments before Caroline had arrived at this house to make her arrival known to her past lovers. More importantly, Katherine had lied to her tonight. And Caroline has never responded well to liars.

"How could you?" Caroline screamed at Katherine after she had returned their hotel rooms. Katherine was lounging out on her bed, painting her toenails and listening to the reality TV show that was playing on the television screen.

"What have I done now?" Katherine asked, exasperated.

"Oh, do not play dumb with me! How dare you lie to me today! You know how I feel about liars, Katerina. And I, for sure, never believed you would be one of them!"

"I'm guessing you found out about my little doppelganger problem?"

"You mean the human girl who looks and sounds just like you? The girl who is currently caught in between the lives of the Salvatore brothers? Then, yes. Of course I found out!"

"Will you keep your voice down?" Katherine hissed. "If we are kicked out of this half-decent hotel, we'll end up sleeping out of our car or even worse, a rundown motel."

"You kissed Damon Salvatore, posing as your doppelganger double, Elena. And then, you came back to the same house to pick a fight with Stefan to make your return to this town obvious. Are you out of your mind? Did you not understand me when I said low-profile?"

"Yes, Caroline, I repeatedly heard every word. It just never occurred to me that they would react the way they did, that's all."

"Please. Those two brothers were willing to _die _for you in 1864, and what did you do to repay them? You selfishly kept both brothers tightly wrapped around your finger, faked your own death, and which had resulted in their own deaths while trying to save you in the process, and destroyed their brotherhood. I never forgave you for that, and yet, I stood by your side because you were my friend."

"Correction, I _am_ your friend, Caroline. But you also know how I detest being questioned for my actions and ordered around like a compelled little human."

"And I've never done anything of the such. Until now. If you wish to toy with the lives of these humans and the Salvatore brothers, do _not_ expect me to agree with you this time. I've been down this road with you before in 1864 and I refuse to be apart of your little games now. Not this time." Caroline said, walking over the door that attached their rooms together. She opened the door and, before she walked inside, she looked over her shoulder. "Tomorrow, I will returning back to California. I do not expect you to come with me because, as always, you have never heed my words before. But once you've dug yourself a deeper hole again, do not expect me to forgive you when you return to California. The beach house will be sold by then and I will be long gone before you could ever return."

At first, Katherine appeared slightly shocked, but more fearful at Caroline's sincere words. But in the end, she rolled her eyes, smilingly and snorted, taking this as a joke or another empty threat. "And how long is this episodic fight going to last? A month? A year? A decade?"

"Well, Katerina, how do you feel about forever? I was serious when I said I was done about your games and your hidden agenda. If Klaus ends up finding you here, or anywhere in this world and in the future, do not expect me to save you like I had in 1492. You've never appreciated me since that day, you simply needed protection from _if_ Klaus had found us and you thought, 'hey! Since this nine-hundred-year-old vampire is running away from the same vampire I am, I should gain her trust and pretend to be her friend so that when the time comes, she'll be there to be my bodyguard.' I'm sorry to disappoint you, Katerina, but I can finally see through your true colors. For an old vampire, I do not like to accept the fact that you've had me fooled since day one."

Finally, Caroline's words had sink in and any trace of laughter and sarcasm had left Katherine's face. Her reaction to Caroline's final goodbye speech had her reaction replaced with utter panic, concern and disbelief. Katherine quickly stood up and, using her vampire speed, stood directly in front of Caroline. "N-No," she stuttered desperately, "you're wrong, Caroline. I never used you. You've always been my best friend and we've been so much together. I need you with me, sister. Please, do not walk away from me. Or from centuries of us that we have spent together."

"Consider you and them forgotten from my memory." Caroline stated, coldly.

Katherine's facial reaction quickly reflected absolute hurt and betrayal, the same sensation Caroline felt beneath the surface of her stone-faced camouflage on her face, before it was instantly altered to just hurt. "Fine. But you know, you lied to me today as well. You promised that we would stay together no matter what."

"Well, if we're playing that game, then it appears you've started it. And I'm finishing it. You've hurt me, I've hurt you. An eye for an eye." Caroline said before turning away from her. "For forevermore, good night and goodbye, Katerina."

Caroline slowly closed the door behind her and on Katherine's face, locking it before pressing her back to the door and sliding down the ground in sobs. Once again, Caroline had learnt a new lesson the hard way. Everyone ends up hurting the one person that they care about the most. The one that they should never hurt in the first place.

**live2write123: by the way, i was going to leave this on another cliff-hanger, and i would have stopped before Caroline's confrontation with Katherine, like i had done/ but, since i have two big upcoming assignments due at school this week and i won't be able to update until Wednesday or Thursday, i decided to pull it out all the way and not to torture you. the next chapter will probably start with a flashback, but the REAL question is: will Caroline really leave Mystic Falls? is her friendship with Katherine really over? i guess you'll have to wait and see ;). until next time! :)**


	6. Chapter Five

**live2write123: hey everyone! sorry for the last couple days. warning in advance! this month is going to be the worse for me because my film teacher keeps on handing out more and more assignments and tests BEFORE we had time to finish the previous assignments -_- . i mean, come ON! i can't even text, talk and walk at the same time, let alone finish four projects and a major test coming up! i'm not a friggin' homework robot! wait... do you think Wall-E's available? can HE do all of these assignments for me? anyway, again, i'm sorry in advance if i don't update for a few days due to school work or other important chores in my life. enough with my rant and my moment of desperation for a homework robot, onto to what you came here for!**

**ps. this chapter is about Caroline's decision to either move back to California or to stay in Mystic Falls. but when Katherine's next stunt altered everything and everyone in the town, the Mystic Falls gang turn to Caroline for her assistance to stop Katherine's arising destruction. Caroline struggles to decide: forgive and rejoin her currently ex-best friend or to gain new friends and some old ones to fight back. what will she choose? enjoy, review, favourite... please? PRETTY please? :3 pretty please with Klaus/Joseph Morgan and his sexy accent and cute dimples on top? :D**

**pss. this chapter is a few paragraphs over nine pages on my miscrosoft word... i'm just saying :P i hope the wait was worth it :).**

**Chapter Five: Double-Agent**

_**Flashback (London, England - 1492)**_

Days had passed since the Lord Niklaus and Lord Elijah had played it nice with their little doppelganger, Katerina Petrova. Now, she must have discovered to why the two Mikaelson brothers courted her and invited her to live in their manor, since she was currently racing through the forest, stealing glances over her shoulder every now and then until she fell to the ground and hid behind a tree. Caroline watched the scene play out in front of her from afar. The Lord Elijah and his men were gaining on her trail, and if Caroline remembered correctly, Elijah was desperate to regain the trust and loyalty to his brother. He tried to spare the girl's life, but now that the girl had fled, everything had changed. He wanted to find her, drag her back to Niklaus for forgiveness and pledge his loyalty to his younger brother. The poor girl didn't stand against these vampires. No one in the supernatural world could, let alone an innocent human

"_She's here_," Elijah said to his men holding the burning torches, "_Katerina! I know you're near. I can smell your blood. It's pointless to run. Klaus will find you wherever you are_."

Suddenly, Trevor appears and, to Caroline's surprise, point his finger into the opposite direction that Katerina was hiding from. "_This way_," he lied. "_There is more blood over there_."

While he led the men further away from Katerina, Caroline took the opportunity to speed over to her after she had struggled to stand up, before Caroline could wrap her hand over the girl's mouth, hushing her shrieks of fear and surprise. "Do not be afraid of me. If you value your life, you will not run away and scream for help. I am here to help you. I have been watching you since these men have courted you, and I want to save your life. Do you understand me?" She whispered.

Katerina nodded, yet her big brown eyes screamed exhaustion and apprehension.

But Caroline removed her hand from her lips. "Then, trust me. I will lead them astray while you run to shelter. Head east. There is a cottage. It is my home. You will be safe there. I will return when I have lost these men off of our trail, okay?"

Once again, she nodded speechlessly.

Caroline inhaled the air, which had easily been polluted by Katerina's bleeding wounds "Your blood is overpowering the fresh air." Caroline stated as she removed her brown fur cape and wrapping it around Katerina's shoulders. "This cloak had been skinned from a fox. It is camouflaged into the woodland's natural surroundings. It will replace and mask the scent of your blood with the scent of a fox." With little time left, Caroline boldly ran her hand over Katerina's haemorrhaging wounds, without the girl's consent, and smeared it across her own clothes. "I will lead them west. Now, run."

Caroline watched Katerina flee in the opposite direction that the men were marching further away from and headed for Caroline's cottage. Caroline was off into the direction of Elijah and his men, leading them out of Katerina's presence. She knew what she was doing. She was putting a target on her back in order to keep this one girl alive. A human girl that means nothing to her. But yet, she was willing to throw everything aside, the last four-hundred and thirty-four years she had spent on this earth as a vampire would gone to waste. It was worth the risk, to take away something essential from Niklaus's grasp in order for her to gain the long-awaited retribution. He mindlessly started this war over four-hundred years ago, and she was determined to be the one to finish it.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

It had been an hour since Caroline had finished packing her bags. The bellhop had carried her luggage to the front door of the hotel while she checked herself out at the front desk before loading her car with the suitcases. She had dreamt of that memory in her sleep last night. Five-hundred and eighteen years had passed since then and a lot had happened between herself and Katherine. And after all of those centuries spent together, either as reunited friends or away from each other in a temporary fight, Caroline never wanted to believe it would end this way, let alone at all.

In Katherine's fit of rage, she must have done something viciously and impulsively from the time Caroline had said her goodbyes last night to the time now that Caroline was on her way to the airport. But whatever happened in this town, and whatever Katherine chose to do with it, was no longer a concern for her. She simply found this entire trip a waste of time and an effort to try and stay on Katherine's side. No matter how much whether the thought of making the right decision towards saving Katerina from Niklaus had crossed her mind, she never regretted it. Not then, not now. It was still worth it. If roles had been reversed, and Caroline was born to have her body drained of blood over some silly little curse for Niklaus's gain, she would want to be saved as well. After Katerina had been turned into a vampire, her human blood had been spoiled and replaced by her new vampire bloodstream to be used in Niklaus's ritual. He had waited just over five-hundred for the next doppelganger to reappear in order to break his unfamiliar curse. All for the reason that Caroline had interfered with his plans back in 1492. Ever since then, his search for Katerina and Caroline had been lively activated. And this is the place he must have ensured every few decades to see if they were present in Mystic Falls. Luckily, none of the times that he had checked up on this town, Caroline and Katherine were no where near him or Mystic Falls. But that never meant they were or ever will be out of harm's way. Caroline would never truly be safe from him. As long as he was existing in this world and hunting them down as they lived on a daily basis, they would never be safe. And now, all Caroline could do was run and to never look back at what she had left behind. At this moment, Katerina Petrova was the thing she had to let go and leave behind in order to move forward without her best friend by her side, as much as it hurt her to do so. And permanently.

As Caroline drove through downtown Mystic Falls, she slowed her car down while she passed by the Mystic Grill where she had her first interaction with Damon Salvatore last night. The first interaction in decades. So much for threatening her way into this town. But now, she finally made up her mind to stop by for one last green apple martini before continuing her way to the airport. She drove her car into an empty parking spot closest to the doors of the Grill, stepping out and walking inside the building. The same as last night, she scanned the room with her eyes before making her way to the bar. She ordered her drink, not even giving the same bartender a second glance or the little attention she gave him the night before. Why bother when she was on her way out of this dreadful little town? She sipped her glass in larger gulps, savouring the sour liquor down her throat.

"Well, well, well" A very familiar voice boomed slowly into her ears, which sounded as if the person was standing behind her. "You know, when my brother told me Caroline Forbes had returned to Mystic Falls, I wouldn't believe it until I saw it was true."

Caroline smiled into her glass before swiftly rotating around in her seat and throwing her arms around Stefan Salvatore, the more hospitable and less challenging Salvatore brother out of the two. He picked her up out of the bar stool, spinning her around in his strong arms. She could feel burning tears of joy prickling behind her eyes, thrilled to see a friendly face for once. He placed her back down in her seat and sat down next to her, ordering himself a beer before turning to her. "God, it's really good to see you, Care. Now, where the hell have you been all these years?" He asked, endearingly prior to gulping down a sip from his beer bottle.

"The sunny beaches of California. I was just stopping by before I'd go back."

"Go back? But you just got here."

Caroline sighed. "Precisely."

He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows confusedly. "I'm guessing you know that Katherine's here as well, right?"

"Of course I do. I came with her."

"And you're leaving without her?" It took him a second to understand what happened last night between Caroline and Katherine. "Which must mean that you two have gotten into another fight. How long will this one last?"

"Forever. I don't want to be apart of her little games anymore. I should have never let it drag on for this long."

"Well, I must say I'm proud of you. Katherine has been taking advantage of you ever since the day she had become a vampire and she never appreciated your undoubtedly loyalty and friendship to her."

"Thank you. I'm glad we're on the same page."

"So, you're really leaving?"

"Unfortunately. There's only so much Mystic Falls I can handle."

Stefan chuckled, nodding in agreement and taking another gulp of his beer. "I understand. But it's too bad. I was hoping you'd stay around so we could catch up more."

"I'm sorry, I wish I could stay. But you know me, I'm never in the same place for too long."

"Oh yes, the nomadic vampire is always on run. How could I have not forgotten?"

Caroline laughed, sarcastically. "Funny. Who knew that Stefan Salvatore, the brooding and serious vampire, could crack a joke. Where's a camera when I need one?"

"I wouldn't be talking, little Miss Comedian. But I got to get going. Our school's organizing an annual carnival tonight."

"I thought something was happening. I saw the carnival trucks on my way here."

"You should stop by, if your not in a hurry to leave."

"Maybe I will." She said with a smile, deciding to not shut him down but to still give him hope that she might show up.

"Great. I'll be looking forward to seeing you." Stefan stood up, finishing his beer before digging out a ten-dollar bill from his jean pocket and placed it on the bar counter. "Consider your drink paid."

"Thank you."

"See you later."

Caroline watched Stefan's retreating back leave the bar as she reached from her drink and gulped down the rest of it. If Stefan hadn't change since the last time she saw him, he wouldn't be entirely upset that if she didn't show up tonight, but he's the type to keep an eye on the crowd every now and then to see if she really did show or not. She debated on either, going to this stupid carnival and catching up with an old friend or she could get into her car and forget ever returning to Mystic Falls in the first place. But something deep inside of her was trying to convince her to pick the first option. Perhaps Katherine _had _done something impulsive to make a statement towards her return. It wasn't the first time she ever terrorized a town. Caroline could only hope for the best in this situation.

For some strange reason, on a nightly basis, the black night never hesitates to occupy the sky when the sun has set in Mystic Falls. Caroline, who was currently living out of suitcase for a couple of hours, finally decided to show up at the carnival at last minute. Just enough time to say her final goodbyes to Stefan and at least try to get back onto somewhat good terms with Damon again. The high school grounds were brightly lit to attract more people in, but not that they truly needed to catch any more attention. The place was crowded with high school students and other teenagers, laughing and playing at stands of different games for people to play and win stuffed-animals or other prizes. Once again, Caroline's thoughts had been invaded by the smiling humans, cheering proudly once they had won a prize. To her left were two best friends playing a game of basketball. The one shooting the ball easily tossed it into the net and his friend next to him hollered improvingly, offering him a high-five, which he accepted enthusiastically. To her right were a young high school couple, where the boy was stretching his arms, preparing his arms to play at the high striker game where the contestant has to use a mallet to hit the bottom of the tower in order to hit the bell at the top. For a human, Caroline was impressed on how strong the boy was, easily striking the bell and winning a stuffed-animal for his adoring girlfriend.

Caroline continued to walk further into the carnival until she saw Stefan Salvatore discreetly leaving the high school. His eyes were scanning the crowd, but not for her. He was trying to find someone, and Caroline decided to become involved in his search. "Stefan!" She called out and his head immediately shot towards her.

"Hey Care, I'm really glad you showed up and we'll catch up later. But right now, I'm looking for someone." Stefan explained, hurriedly.

"It's okay, I'll help you."

"Thanks." He said without hesitation.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Well, you've always said that you're an expert at spying and observing, right?"

"Possibly the best in the world. Why?"

"Perfect, because I'm going to your expertise and wise knowledge."

They walked towards the school's parking lot, eventually finding Carter, a young man that helps repair broken carnival materials, who was also the boy Stefan had been following to this particular place. She didn't know what was happening, but as they hid, they watched the scene play out in front of them.

For some reason, Carter deliberately walked into a boy that Stefan had said his name was Tyler. "Watch where your going." Tyler warned.

"You got a problem?" Carter challenged.

"Yeah, you walked right into me."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"You're kidding, right?" Tyler asked, amusingly as Carter continued to push Tyler repeatedly. "You better back off." Tyler warns, threateningly but Carter pushed him again. "You hit me again, and I swear to God..."

Tyler is thrown off guard after Carter punched him directly in his face, knocking Tyler off of his feet and onto the pavement ground. They engage into a fight until a familiar, burly man came to stop it. "Hey Tyler! Tyler!" The man yelled, separating Tyler and Carter apart before standing in between the two boys. "What the hell, man?" He says to Carter before Carter goes after him, punching him into a parked car and the car alarm blasted out from the impact.

Suddenly, Mason jumps superhumanly ten feet into the air, crawling onto the roof of the car on his hands and feet. His eyes had changed and they glowed yellow in his fit of rage. "Your eyes." Tyler says, astonished.

"Oh, no." Caroline whispered to herself, at last understanding what was occurring in front of her very eyes.

Mason finally hit Carter off of his feet and collects Tyler before they flee the scene.

Caroline and Stefan run up to Carter after the two boys had left the parking lot. "You all right, man?" Stefan asked, kneeling beside Carter while Caroline stood and her eyes watched the darkness where Tyler and the other familiar man from her more recent past had left.

"Why did I just do that?" Carter asked, dazed and confused.

"You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Stefan lied. Luckily, Carter stood up and walked back to the carnival with no life-threatening injuries other then a minor bloodied nose. Stefan turned to Caroline and touched her shoulder. "Hey, Care."

She ignored him, staring off in the direction the boys disappeared to.

"Caroline, look at me." Stefan demanded, worriedly.

This time, she glanced at him with the same worried look in her own eyes. "This is not good. Not good at all."

"What is it?" He looks in the direction the boys ran off too. "Don't tell me you know Tyler?"

Caroline shook her head, trying to shake off the flash of déjà vu crossing her mind. "No. Rather I know Mason Lockwood."

_**Flashback (Emerald Coast, Florida - 2009)**_

It had only been two weeks since Caroline had followed Katherine to Florida after their five-year stay in the rainy state of Seattle, Washington. It was one of those rare occasions where Katherine had an ulterior motive and a reason to abruptly leave for something she had never mentioned to Caroline. All she knew was that Emerald Coast had a secret pack of werewolves known to the supernatural world. They decided to change their names to Kathy and Carrie, the two party girls who were on Spring Break from their college back in Seattle. While in Florida, they spent every day 'tanning' on the beaches and by night, they would hit the bars and dance and drink all night long. Literally.

One night, Caroline and Katherine arrived at the bar they avoided for the last three days since they had arrived in Emerald Coast. It was a werewolf bar where humans and werewolves interacted, but never vampires. As the story goes and as always, vampires and werewolves have been mortal enemies ever since the beginning of time. It was in their blood. Werewolves were warm-blooded slaves to the moon while vampires were cold-blooded slaves to the sun. Night and day. Complete opposites. And even for a nine-hundred-year-old vampire, Caroline was uneasy to walk into the den of the wolves outnumbered.

They sat at the bar, wearing less attire then normal, and ordered their heavy drinks. Across the room and sitting at the booth was the man Katherine was looking for. He had to be in his late-twenties, early-thirties and was a experienced surfer. Caroline had seen him everyday before tonight, walking around the beaches with his surfboard under his arm. The man had short, curly brown hair, smoky grey eyes and a burly-muscular figure. He was laughing and joking around with his friends before Katherine bravely decided to approach their table.

"Hey, my name's Kathy." She said, sweetly while twirling a curl around her figure. "My friend, Carrie and I have been on Spring Break and we were just wondering when one of you big boys were going to buy us a drink."

Mason laughed. "Now, why would any of us do that, sweetheart?"

"Well," she paused to ponder and for dramatic effect, "why wouldn't you?" Katherine winked before twisting on her heel and sashaying her way back to Caroline at the bar. "You know where to find us." She seductively called over her shoulder. And from that day forward, he was captivated by her charm.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

"You knew Mason Lockwood?" Damon asked when Stefan and Caroline had filled him in concerning the brawl in the parking lot between Mason's nephew, Tyler and the poor compelled boy, which Caroline did not approve one bit after Stefan had told her about Damon's little test with compelling Carter. But Caroline decided to forget about it, for now, as they walked into an empty classroom and began talking about her past with Mason.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, more or less. I met him over Spring Break last year while I was posing as a college student from Seattle."

Damon's eyes narrowed, suspiciously. "What were you doing in Seattle?"

"Just one of my stops around the world. Nothing important."

"Was little miss Katherine with you at the time? Maybe _she _had a particular reason to go to Florida and you just went along with her like you always have."

Caroline shrugged. "Maybe she was with me, maybe not. Why would I tell you?"

Damon wasn't surprised that he couldn't see if she was telling the truth or lying. It's what characteristic and skill that frustrated him most about Caroline. For a nine-hundred-year-old vampire, she had learnt how to hid the truth and to tell the lie and how to keep others from finding out the truth beneath the lie with whatever information she was giving out.

His jaw clenched. "When will you ever stop being such a brownnosing pushover to her?"

"I've stopped perhaps around the same time you stopped spending the last hundred and fifty-years obsessing over her. Human behaviours. Who knew how inconvenient they can be once you've turned."

"Okay, we're getting off topic here." Stefan interjected before Damon could defend his injured dignity. "We have bigger problems then your troubles with each other. Where's Elena?"

"She should be here." Damon said, still sulking over Caroline's words.

Suddenly, Katherine's doppelganger, Elena rounded the corner and into the classroom. Everyone's eyes fell on her. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Bonnie needed me to restock some of-"

She looked up from the ground and looked carefully at Caroline, who was staring curiously at her.

"You must be Elena." Caroline said before anyone eyes could. "My name is Caroline."

Damon's head jerked towards Caroline. "She's a double-agent."

By the look on Elena's confused face, Stefan stepped towards his girlfriend. "I'm sorry we've never mentioned her, but she's a very old vampire and she's here to help us."

"And, let's not forget, that she's a double-agent." Damon repeated, spitefully.

Her eyebrows creased in perplexity. "What'd you mean?"

"I've known Katherine Pierce since she was made into a vampire, given that I was the one that I was the one who trained her during her early years as a vampire." Caroline explained. "I was her best friend and practically sisters for centuries, until recently. I can assure you that I will pledge my allegiance to you by helping you deal with Katherine's current stunt."

"Why have you brought us here, Damon?" Elena asked.

"Katherine's 'current stunt', as Vampire Barbie puts it, involves little Alison becoming a vampire." Damon said, amusingly.

"What? How did this happen?" Stefan asked after a moment of silence due to the shock of the sudden change of events.

"Well, I fed her my blood and Katherine obviously killed her and A plus B equals..."

"Face it, Damon. You're not funny. No comedic timing, _at all_." Caroline muttered.

"But why?" Elena asked in a slightly desperate tone.

"Because Katherine is a manipulative nasty little slut." Damon sneered.

Stefan continue to pace. "And Alison told her 'game on'? What does that even mean?"

"It means she's playing dirty, she wants us to know."

"Of course she does. It's the only way she knows how to get to people. It's all part of her little game for her own entertainment." Caroline clarified.

After Stefan and Elena left the classroom when Damon suggested to kill the new vampire, Caroline followed them out. If she stayed in that classroom any longer, let alone by herself with him in same room, she would end up killing him. He truly believed that if there was a new problem in his life, he thought by permanently removing the problem would solve it and make everything okay again. Over Caroline's dead body he will. If Caroline wanted to prove her loyalty to her new 'acquaintances', she had to save Alison from falling into the depths of bloodlust and slaughter. It was the only way to prove she wasn't a 'double-agent' who would secretly report back to Katherine every night.

Barely five minutes later, the smell of fresh blood was entangled with the fresh night air encountered Caroline. It couldn't have been a mile away and it was definitely somewhere in the region of the high school grounds. And Caroline had a feeling it was Katherine's new little creation. It didn't take long to listen into Damon's conversation with some unfamiliar voice.

"_I can help you_." Damon said, calmly.

"_You can?_" The girl said, hopefully.

"_Yeah, I have to._"

_"What are you gonna do?"_

_"The only thing I can do. I'm going to kill you."_ Damon spoke with a composed tone, as if death was the nicest gift in the world.

_"Please don't! I don't want to die!" _She begged.

Caroline quickly ran towards the voices and stood a few feet away from the scene. Damon was embracing Alison, but his arm was raised behind her back with a wooden stack in his hand, the tip aimed for her heart. She quickly ran to the two, pushing Damon further away from the girl with more force and aggression then she had too. Caroline guarded the girl who had blood smeared across her face with the same hue of her curly wild red hair, by standing in front of while Damon slowly stood on his feet again. Abruptly, Stefan and Elena came to their friend's aid.

"Get away from me!" The girl screamed, her voice cracking. "You killed me!"

She thought Elena was Katherine. "_Been there, done that_," Caroline thought to herself. "No, no, no, Alison. That wasn't me! You know that! That was Katherine."

"No! Then why did she look like you? And why, why did she do this to me?" Alison wailed, new tears streaming down her face.

Elena turned to Stefan, who stood beside Caroline to protect Alison from another attack by Damon. "Stefan, we've got to get her inside." Elena urged.

He looked at Caroline, silently asking her if she could take it from here. She nodded before he backed away from Damon while reaching out his hand for Alison to take. "It's okay, Alison. Come with me."

"She'll die, it's only a matter of time." Damon stated, coldly.

"Yeah, maybe so, but it's not gonna happen tonight." Stefan challenged

"Oh yeah it is." He said, avoiding Caroline by quickly running around her, picking up the fallen stake on the ground before aiming at it Alison again. But Elena quickly sidesteped to move in front of the girl, guarding Alison with body. She looked at from the stake in his hand to the look in his eyes. "Damon, she's my _friend_." Elena said, trying to let her words sink into him.

Damon hesitates to continue, but meets Elena's stare twice before he lowers his arm. "Whatever happens, it's on you." He warns, knowingly.

Caroline examines the scene in front of her, trying to put everything together like a puzzle. Elena, Katherine's doppelganger, is dating Stefan. Bonnie's a witch and her best friend. Alison was a human, turned into a vampire by Katherine with Damon's blood, and is dating the human, Matt. Tyler is the nephew of Mason, Katherine's 'so-called' 'friend' from Florida. And then there's Damon, who hadn't changed ever since he was turned... until now. There was something about this doppelganger that Katherine never had. Maybe that was why she was back in Mystic Falls. Maybe Katherine had heard rumours that there was a new doppelganger in the world and she just _had _to ruin the poor girl's life by turning one of best friend's into a vampire. Or maybe Katherine had a bigger plan more then anyone could possibly expect, know or patch together. But perhaps Damon's new nickname for Caroline was the only option Caroline had left and could resort to, now.


	7. Chapter Six

**live2write123: bonjour friends! I'MMMM BAAACKKK! :D i probably missed updating as much as i hope you missed my updates :3. i'm sorry it's been nearly a week since my last update, but i did warn you i would be busy this month! just wait until summer when i had graduate high school and i'm free 24/7 for two or so months :)! oh my gosh, thanks again to everyone who reviews, favourites, and supports this story! it wouldn't exist without your opinions, patience and commitment to reading every chapter :).**

**ps. this chapter happens in the third episode of season 2, Bad Moon Rising, when the Mystic Falls gang are trying to figure out the truth and mystery behind Lockwood family's secrets. Caroline knows very little about them and when a rumour appears to be true, she can't help but reminisce of her past with a near-death experience and her last blissful moment she experienced with... well, i can't give it ALL away! what's the point of reading this chapter if i tell you everything right now? so... what are you waiting for? go on and read already! :D **

**pss. another chapter over nine pages. the words just kept on flowing like water over the Niagara Falls. oh! and by the way, i got accepted into college this past Friday :3. I applied on Wednesday, the person who is head of the program called my house on Thursday, and then a day later, i got the email and TA-DA! ACCEPTED! :D oh gosh... i'm growing up so friggin' fast :'), anyway, please enjoy, review, favourite :).**

**Chapter Six: Bittersweet Memories**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

_After Stefan and Elena had taken the distraught Alison home, Caroline was left with the cunning and heartless Damon. Bonnie left with Matt, masking her true feelings towards the newest turn of events and agreed to keep his girlfriend's new identity a secret since their human friends were never told of the existence of vampires. She didn't have a choice to choose differently, Damon had practically threatened the poor witch. And now, once again, Caroline was left alone with the infuriating Damon. Once Bonnie had left, Caroline turned to Damon and the welcoming smile on her lips dropped instantly. She pivoted her body away from him and angrily stomped to her car with her heels clacking against the pavement._

_"Oh come on, don't tell me you're still mad at me." Damon said, tediously while following her._

_"At this moment, I am far past the basic 'mad', Damon. I would not test my patience, if I were you." Caroline seethed through clenched teeth._

_"So, does this mean that you're still planning on leaving town?"_

_Caroline stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face him. "Why does it concern you if stay or go? Last time I checked, we have never been on the best of terms. And I highly doubt that you were not purely ecstatic to take notice of my urgent depart."_

_He shrugged before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. "Well, on a normal occasion, I would. But not now. As much as I regret to admit it, you have always been loyal to my brother and you've always had the skill to know everything about everyone who has arrived in Mystic Falls and has crossed our paths."_

_"Damon Salvatore, you must be desperate to present me with flattery to get me to negotiate with you." Caroline said with an amused chuckle before crossing her arms under her chest. "How can I be of service to you?"_

_"If you haven't noticed, you mentioned you knew Mason Lockwood. Recently, the Mayor of this town was affected by the John Gilbert device."_

_"Yes, the same device from 1864, if I'm not mistaken."_

_"Correct, and as you know, it was to collect the twenty-eight vampires back in 1864 and then they burned the church to the ground with the vampires inside. But somehow the device affected Mayor Lockwood the night of the Founder's day and the Council believed he was a vampire as well, so he was killed amongst the rest of the vampires who had been affected by the device, injected with vervain and were burned to ash. Me, myself, had barely escaped that night."_

_"What are you asking me, Damon?"_

_"If the Mayor Lockwood wasn't a vampire, then what was he? And if his brother, Mason, and his son, Tyler, are related to him, what are they?"_

_Caroline shrugged, nonchalantly. "I may know a thing or two. But why would I help you? You destroy everything in your path, and most of all, you disregard anyone else's feelings above your own."_

_"Look, I'm not going to stand here and beg you for help. It's up to you whether you want to help us, or not." He began to walk backwards and away from her. "Stop by the house tomorrow morning if you've changed your mind."_

_He disappeared with the wind and Caroline was left standing beside her car alone. Today had been eventful and Caroline had a lot of options to consider overnight. Currently homeless, she sighed before sliding into her car, locking the doors and reclining her car seat so that she uncomfortably could lay down for the night. After many attempts to fall asleep, her eyes finally drifted off after time had struck two in the morning._

The next morning, Caroline woke up stiffly at the break of dawn, snapping any inflexible bones back into place. She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday while her car was the only vehicle remaining in the parking lot of Mystic Falls High. The people with the carnival were currently packing everything away into the moving trucks and driving out of sight. Caroline triggered the backrest to her seat to be positioned upright before jabbing her key into the ignition with a loud yawn and driving out of the parking lot. At this moment, she didn't know what to do. She was torn to either stay or go, to fight or to completely ignore the situation altogether. Unexpectedly, her phone vibrated from the cup holder. It was an unknown caller, but it was to expected because Katherine was the only one who knew her new cell phone number.

_Hey Care, it's Stefan. If you're not still so persistent and determined on leaving, can you stop by my house? Damon told me about your conversation with him last night and your resistance to helping us out, so I thought I'd give it a shot. We need your help. I already own you one for showing up and helping us out last night, but how about we add another favour on top of that list? :)_

Caroline chuckled, shaking her head while changing the route of towards the given address to Stefan's house in the text message. To get everything straight, she wasn't agreeing to help and assist Damon with the problem. She was helping Stefan, the second person she could never disagree with, in the past Katherine was the first. The difference was Stefan was never a manipulative and selfish bitch like Katherine had always been. After she had drove over Wickery Bridge, she parked her car in front of the Salvatore Boarding House. It was a extraordinarily beautiful home that was made of brown wood and was possibly one of the biggest homes in Mystic Falls. It was not as ancient and majestic as the old Salvatore Estate that Caroline and Katherine had once called their home, but this was definitely just as breathtaking.

She stood in front of the massive doors and politely rung the bell. Much to her disappointment, Damon opened the door, smiling charmingly at her as he leaned his body against the doorway. "Look who changed her mind. Did my words persuade you so much that you felt _compelled_ to agree with me?"

"Not at all, your brother's words from a simple test message was enough to change my plans on leaving. It appears that you have lost your skills at influencing others to replace their better judgement with your own. Now, if you don't mind, _Stefan_ had called to see me."

"What's the password?" Damon challenged, idiotically and relentlessly.

"Are you a child? Let me through!" Caroline demanded.

He leaned in closer to her face, which a normal and human teenager would fall weak in the knees for. But Caroline was not a human, let alone easily swayed by this brute's charms of persuasion. "Or what?" He whispered.

Caroline had cut him off by kicking the door off it's hinges and forcing Damon to fly backwards, off his feet and to land on the ground in the front foyer of the house. She effortlessly strutted inside without an invitation, since only vampires lived under this roof, just as Stefan dashed down the stairs to greet her. He looked at Damon confusedly, who was getting up from the ground and Caroline smiling triumphantly as she hugged Stefan. "Good morning, best friend." Caroline said, sweetly. "Now, how can I be of service to you?"

Stefan ignored Damon's muttering curse words and began to lead Caroline into the living room. "I'm sure Damon's explained our most current opposition that has recently arrived into town."

"Yes, he has. How could have missed his persistent begging for my help?"

"Well, since you knew Mason Lockwood for a short time, I thought you'd help us out."

"I'll try my best. And don't worry, I'll fix the door by sundown."

Just as Caroline and Stefan were about to sit down in the living room, a middle-aged man with chestnut brown hair and matching eyes appeared in the doorway alongside Elena while examining the broken door. "What the hell happened here?" He asked.

"I happened." Caroline announced with her hand raised. "We've never met. My name is Caroline. I'm a friend of the Salvatores."

"She meant to say, _'Salvatore'_. No need to make your sentence plural, Caroline, when we were never friends." Damon muttered, furiously.

"Thanks for coming, Ric." Stefan said, after greeting Elena with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and before there was a round two of Damon's unresolved fight with Caroline.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Damon asked as he stood in front of their small, but favourite Bourbon collection. "Coffee? Bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?"

"Elena mentioned you needed my help." Alaric Saltzman said, as he looked at the empty space beside Caroline.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I don't bite." Caroline said with a wink, patting the empty seat.

He sat down while Damon pretended to puke at Caroline's flirtation.

"Yeah, we were hoping you can shed some light on the Lockwood family." Stefan began, sitting beside Elena on the couch across from them.

"Unfortunately, Blondie over here refuses to give up any information on our little Mason and Tyler problem." Damon sneered.

"I already told you. Just because I knew him in the past and only for a short time, doesn't mean I know his entire back story. And besides, I have a hunch of what he is but I'd rather hear Alaric Saltzman's theory."

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Alaric asked.

"Well, you wouldn't." Damon said after pouring his Bourbon and sitting by himself in a chair. "But your-dead, not-dead wife might."

"Hold on a minute. You're speaking of Isobel Flemming, right? The supernatural researcher? She is your wife?" Caroline questioned, confusedly.

"She was until the minute she was turned into a vampire." Alaric hissed, regretfully.

"And let me guess, she was turned by this scum of a homewrecker?" Caroline asked with the twitch of her head towards Damon. Although, she didn't need anyone's response. The silence was a good enough answer to understand perfectly. "You really cannot live a day without ruining someone's life, can you?" She asked, rhetorically while she stared at Damon.

"Anyway, Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together might help us." Elena said, breaking the awkward silence and ending Damon's death-glare he was giving to Caroline.

"You said that she had spent years researching this town?" Stefan asked.

"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklores and legends. But at the time, I thought much of it was fiction." Alaric explained, bitterly.

"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena asked.

"The lycanthrope."

"Wait," Elena leaned forward from the couch, "like werewolves?"

"No way. Impossible." Damon declined, immediately after finishing his drink and standing up. "Way too Lon Chaney."

"It's not impossible." Caroline whispered, mostly to herself but everyone heard her and their eyes were now on her.

"It isn't?" Stefan questioned.

Caroline shook her head. "No. Of course it's true."

"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, and I've never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?" Damon asked.

Alaric turned to Stefan. "Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?"

"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founder's Day, but the Gilbert device did and it affected Tyler." Damon explained.

"And at the school carnival," Stefan added, "his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behaviour when he fought with one of the carnival's worker. It suggest it's some sort of supernatural entity."

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure out what it is." Elena said.

"Well, all her things are still at Duke. I mean, her office is still there. She's technically still missing."

"So, can we access it?" Damon asked, and after a moment of hesitation, he continued. "Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with. It means Mason Lockwood is a real life Lon Chaney, and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney junior which means Bela Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed."

"Hmm." Caroline hummed while examining her nails. "Karma's a bitch, isn't it, Damon?"

When everyone decided to drive to Elena's house for her to pack a bag to head out to Duke University in North Carolina with Damon and Alaric, Stefan and Caroline choose to stay behind. Stefan felt compelled to stay behind and help Alison embrace her new nature. Caroline agreed to help him and to give the girl some 'wise' awareness of being a vampire. Just after Elena prolonged her goodbye kiss Stefan in front of Damon, Caroline stepped in beside Stefan.

"Elena. I promise that I will do everything in my power to help your friend." Caroline vowed, sincerely.

Elena smiled, somewhat intimidated. "Thank you."

Caroline offered her a hug and Elena hesitantly accepted. "By the way," Caroline said into her ear, "I utterly approve of what you just did in front of little ol' Damon." She backed away from her hug and winked at Elena. "It's about time he got a taste of his own medicine, don't you agree?"

Stefan and Caroline watched the car disappear down the street, and by the look on Stefan's apprehensive face, she patted his back comfortingly. "Don't worry about her, Stef. We have a lot to accomplish today on our own plate without any interferences."

He nodded with a small smile on his lips. "You're right."

She rolled her eyes, teasingly. "Of course I'm right. I've got just over nine-hundred years on you, kid. There's no doubt in my mind."

"Okay, Miss Conceited. I texted Bonnie to meet me at the Grill. I'm just hoping she'll be forgiving enough to give Alison a daylight ring."

"All right, I'll meet you at the girl's house in an hour."

Caroline knocked on the front door of the Forbes residence. She could hear Alison's shaky breaths and racing heartbeat through the door, but she was unable to answer the door because of the patch of sunlight that glowed through her window and onto the floor of the front hallway. "Listen Alison. My name is Caroline. I'm a friend of Elena and Stefan. I'm here to help you. I know you won't directly open this door because of the sunlight blocking your way, but can you please invite me in?"

"No! I don't know who you are! You could be anyone, for all I care." Alison accused, nervously and indecisively.

"Forgive me." She whispered, breaking the lock and doorknob on the heavy door and opening it to reveal a screen door as Caroline's new obstacle. But at least Alison could see who she was. "Do not be afraid of me. I'm a very old vampire, and I'm here to help you control your cravings."

"How can you? I can't even walk in the sunlight anymore without getting burned."

"Stefan's currently working on that."

Her eyebrows creased. "Wait, you're from the carnival. You were the one who saved me from Damon."

Caroline nodded, slowly. "That is I."

"Then, please. If you can really help me, then please help me. I do not want to die. I want to learn." Alison said and with a moment of hesitation, she whispered, "come in."

Caroline freely opened the screen door, closing it behind her and rushing over to Alison. She pitied for the girl. This was never the life she wanted for herself. Caroline could see that in her hopeless eyes. Caroline wrapped her arms around the stranger, comforting the girl because she needed it. "I will do everything in my power to assist you stabilize your cravings for blood. It takes a long process to achieve successfully, but I need your patience and co-operation. Is that understood?"

Alison nodded, accepting Caroline's embrace.

"And I understand what Damon has done to you in past. But I can assure you, above all else, he will never touch or harm you ever again."

"You mean that?" She sounded optimistic.

"Damon and I have never seen eye-to-eye. We have different lifestyles, rules and decisions when it comes to our vampire lives. Between us girls, let's just say that if he ever lays a finger on you, I'll rip them all off."

That made Alison laugh, much to Caroline's delight. "If you hate him so much, why do you put up with him? I'm guessing you're much older then he is."

"I am. But that is a decision Damon comes up with on a regular basis. He believes that simply killing the problem instead of dealing with the problem solves everything. And besides, Stefan and I have been very close friends since he became a vampire. I would lose his trust and friendship if I were to ever kill Damon. No matter how many arguments they get into and the different opinions they have of each other, they are still brothers."

Alison nodded. "I understand."

After Bonnie had cast a spell on a lapis lazuli ring for Alison, she left and Stefan decided to start to teach her how to hunt woodland creatures. Unlike Caroline, Stefan could never remain stable off of a couple of blood bags from the blood drive at the local hospital like Damon and Caroline could consume. Stefan is like an alcoholic who has returned from a long time spent in rehab. One drink sends him over the edge and he wouldn't be able to stop his bloodlust. He recently had a slip up, but luckily, it didn't send him too far over the edge to be pulled him to his sanity and control. Caroline settled on to let Stefan has his teaching lesson first before she would step in if he needed her. She didn't stray to far, just enough for her enhanced hearing to listen in on their conversation. She took this time, for the first time in a long time, to be completely and utterly alone.

Caroline closed her eyes before breathing in the fresh air around her, the pine of the trees, the clear water of a nearby lake, the animals within this forest. It was a beautiful day to be out and about. She could hear the sounds of faint music, laugher and chatting humans in the distance and as if on cue, Caroline listened in on Alison and Stefan's conversation.

_"I haven't been in the sun for days and everyone is at the swimming hole, having fun and Matt is there! And he finally told me he loved me, but I have been blowing him off and now you want me to eat bunnies and I'm kind of freaking out, okay?"_ Alison rambled, ending her sentence breathlessly.

_"Let's hunt. And then after that, we'll go to the swimming hole." _Stefan negotiated, after his failing attempt to try and hid his laughter.

_"Really?"_ Alison asked, sounding hopeful again.

_"Yeah, Matt is the closest connection that you have to your humanity and I think that being around him is a good thing,"_

Alison nodded in agreement. _"Okay."_

Caroline chuckled to herself at Stefan's early surrender to Alison's urgent request. On a normal occasion, he wouldn't be as yielding as he is now. But maybe it's because he pities the girl for what she was forced to become and could easily relate to the feeling of having the sunlight cascade down on her new immortal skin for the first time. They could only hope that this night wouldn't end in disaster. For once.

"So _this_ is what it's like to be a high school student?" Caroline asked Stefan once the trio had arrived at the swimming hole and he had returned to her side from scolding Alison for compelling a human in a fit of jealousy over her human boyfriend, Matt Donovan.

Stefan laughed. "More or less. You know, for nine-hundred-years, I'd expect you to have attended every single high school in the United States."

"I have bigger priorities then attending some meaningless and petty human high school for my own entertainment." _Like avoiding a certain Original vampire for instance. _

He nodded with his eyes narrowed, suspiciously. "Indeed. I'm surprised you haven't run off again without a goodbye."

"No worries, I'm not in any rush to leave. But when I do leave, I'll make sure my departure is heartfelt, and with any luck my next visit, it won't be as short-lived."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Care. I'm glad you're here. Someone had to put Damon in his place by now."

"Speaking of, really, Stefan? Katherine's doppelganger? Could you not have fallen for someone, I don't know, who _doesn't _look like your raging ex?"

Stefan shrugged, nonchalantly as if he had heard this speech countless times before. "Caroline. You can't help or control who you fall in love with."

_Boy, do I ever know more then you think._ Caroline thought to herself, her heart painfully recollecting the feelings she once felt too many lifetimes ago to remember.

Hours later, the darkness of the night had taken over Mystic Falls, Tyler Lockwood moved the party and everyone attending elsewhere while Stefan and Caroline decided to stay back and clean up the property once everyone had left. Alison was somewhere, making out and reuniting with Matt. It made Caroline nauseous of the memories she remembered when she was still human and Niklaus was chasing her at a normal human speed to keep his true identity hidden. The happiest of moments spent with him now appears to be as distant as vague dream. And as surreal as one.

Caroline groaned, irritably. "Damn, a lot of underage teenagers can drink a lot of alcohol illegally in one night." She said while throwing out plastic red cups into a garbage bag.

"This is the twenty-first century, Caroline. Everything has changed over the years." Stefan defended, collecting empty beer bottles.

"Clearly." Caroline muttered, taking a swing of an opened beer bottle that had only a few sips consumed. Abruptly, Stefan's phone had rang. He put down the empty bottles, answered the phone and walked away. Caroline continued to clean up while she eavesdropped on his conversation.

_"Hey."_ Stefan said.

_"Hi. Listen, we've learned some stuff here and I know it's gonna sound crazy but I wanted to fill you in."_ Elena's voice leaked through the receiver of his phone.

_"What's up?"_

_"I don't know what it means or if we should believe it, but it's a full moon, Stefan. After what you saw Mason Lockwood do..."_

_"I'll be careful."_ Stefan reassured after her sentence had trailed off.

_"There's one more thing."_

_"What is it?"_

_"According to the legend, a werewolf bite can kill a vampire."_

At the sound of Caroline's sudden gasp, Stefan spun around from where he stood and by the look in her fearful eyes, the legend was true. Then, his eyes darted around the forest, looking for Alison, but she was nowhere in sight. _"Listen, I got to go."_ He said calmly to his girlfriend. _"I'll see you when you get home, okay?"_

_"Okay."_

He hangs up, beginning to call Alison's cell phone but she had forgotten it in the trunk of Matt's truck. Caroline and Stefan set off, running rapidly through the forest and desperately trying to find Alison and Matt. Caroline knew the feeling of a werewolf bite all too well, even though it had happened over seven hundred years ago. It was when she last cherished a blissful moment with Niklaus Mikaelson.

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

It had been barely a year since Caroline had traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to arrive in the beautiful countryside of France. She was taken under the care of a human widow and her four children in a village that reminded her of her own back in the homeland she left behind. She could have built her own home and away from human civilization, but she decided to test herself to see if she had truly be able to resist the urge for blood by living amongst humans. They had been very generous during their stay, but as expected, they provided her with ragged homemade clothes and useless human food. Caroline decided to pretend to be a very ailing child, born with an illness that keeps her inside most of the time during the day. But there was no need to pretend. She had not consumed blood in weeks, therefore she physically appeared inexplicably sick. On rare occasions, she would ride horseback on their pet donkey during their family hikes through the forest outside the village during the early mornings. But, for some reason that Caroline could never truly understand, once a month and every full moon, the villagers would always remain inside and would be fast asleep before nightfall had taken over the sky. Caroline never questioned the villagers, except to obey them for their chivalrousness towards keeping her under their care and inviting her into their homes.

However on the night of her birthday, Caroline could not sleep after they had celebrated with cake and music and dancing and laughter under the light of the brightest of full moons. Lately, she had been thinking of what was the point of being a bloodthirsty vampire. There was no purpose to living if she did not have something to live for. She still hadn't valued her life, unable to truly accept her fate as a monster. In her vampire years, she had been turned two-hundred and fifteen years ago. But to these villagers, she only physically appeared not a day past eighteen. Caroline decided to do something special and daring on her birthday. She was carelessly determined to sneak out of the sleeping village and to venture out under the light of a dangerously full moon in order to feel something worthy. Anything. To find her purpose in this new life and to feel alive again. Her curiosity and naivety pushed her to do something memorable for once in her life.

After hours of walking further into the dark forest, Caroline had stumbled upon a pack of mountain wolves, gruesomely ravishing on their latest kill. Although she was as silent as the wind, one of the wolves' head sprung up from the kill and its eyes met hers. It licked its lips before growling at her, signalling its fellow companions to stop chewing on the kill's bones and to target their next kill. Caroline ran blind through the forest, gasping for air out of sheer panic, but to her shock, these wolves were just as fast as her enhanced vampire speed, maybe even faster. What really confused Caroline was that wolves around these parts have never harmed any of the villagers. If the villagers had gone for a hike and they would come across a wolf, the wolf would leave them alone if they left it alone. But this was different. These _wolves_ were different. They wanted to _kill_ her until there was nothing left.

Much to her dismay, Caroline had tripped over a tree root after she had looked over her shoulder for a second to see if the wolves had lost interest of her. But the one who had caught her staring at them if the first place, sprang unnaturally off the ground and wrapped its jaws around the base of her neck where her neck met her shoulders, sinking its teeth into her with an irritable and unbearable burning sensation. This was not how a normal animal bite felt and there was definitely something was off about these wolves.

Suddenly, through Caroline's blurry vision, a tall man stood above her body and the wolves backed away from her, growling at the intrusion. "If you kill this woman, you will have to go through me. But I highly doubt that is even possible. You will not be successful in taking her life. Not while I stand here." A familiar voice had threatened the wolves as if they were human, let alone as if they could understand him. She recognized this voice, but she was too tired and weak to comprehend what was happening around her. All she could hear distantly was the dying cries of each wolf and the splattering of their blood. Barely a minute later, her saviour knelt beside her feeble body, wiped his bloodied hands off and onto his dark pants before affectionately cupping her face soothingly. "It is all right now, my sweet Caroline. I have ridden of the wolves. You are safe." He whispered in concern and affection. "They will never hurt you again."

His voice became remote when she had lost consciousness, drifting off into a deep slumber. Whatever her saviour had planned for her, her remaining survival was now in his capable hands. And for the first time in a long time since she was turned into a vampire, Caroline feared she would never live to see another day again.


	8. Chapter Seven

**live2write123: i don't mean to be a stick in the mud, but i hope i can shine some light on how and why i want this story to be portrayed the way it is and maybe possibly clear up any confusion. i'm aware that the previous chapters are just rewritten episodes but in Caroline's point of view. However there's a reason why i'm writing it this way. i want my version of Caroline's character to portrayed differently then the brilliant ways others have portrayed in their stories and one-shots. Klaus doesn't meet Caroline until later because i thought it would add more and more suspense and anticipation to when they do finally meet in the present time by adding in the flashbacks of their past experiences together every now and then. in my opinion, i wanted to make this story all about Caroline and how the relationships around her affect her and how she sees everything through her eyes. i give you my deepest apologies if this story does not meet up to your expectations but i'd really appreciate it if you would be patient until the chapter comes that Klaus does finally meet Caroline after centuries of chasing her and watching her from a distance. but if you don't like the way i writing each chapter, i won't be upset or offended if you don't decide to continue to read this story. :) if you don't like it, then please don't read it. but to those who decide to put up with the slowness and procrastination of this story and Klaus's arrival, thank you sooo much for the support, favourites and reviews! i could never express my appreciation any more then posting a new chapter for you to read that are up to your expectations :).**

**ps. i'm sorry for the lateness in posting this chapter! i've had two assignments due this week and i had to work on them without any distractions. and then there was the long weekend and i was away at my friend's cottage. but please enjoy, review, favourite :D!**

**pss. another nine, almost ten, pages :) but other then that there's nothing else to really make notice and i hope i've cleared everything up. :)**

**Chapter Seven: Friends Close, Enemies Closer**

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

_The sound of sharp and penetrating chirping of the morning birds had forced Caroline out of the greatest and seemingly deepest of slumbers she had ever experienced. But the peaceful sleep had only lasted overnight, although it felt as if she had slept for centuries. Caroline was no longer laying weak and exhausted on the cold ground of the forest and surrounded by darkness. She was no longer dying from an excruciatingly painful wolf bite wound. But once again, she was all alone. _

_She sat up in the shelter of an unfamiliar and unknown wooden hut with very limited light and space. There was an upholstered, wooden and entirely uncomfortable bed that her body was placed to sleep upon the night before with layers of animal skins wrapped around her. A small table beside her bed in the company of an unlit candle and a pottery bowl with cold water and a torn piece of cloth inside. There was also a small bonfire pit, weakly aflame and barely sourcing light in the dark room. Along the walls of above the fire were a variety of weapons, polished and sharpened. And at last, there was a hand-made chair positioned at her bedside in the company of a stunning blossoming wildflower on the empty seat. She was truly now convinced that it was perhaps the beautiful scent that awakened her from her deep slumber. Instinctively, Caroline picked up the delicate flower and brought it to her nose, inhaling the unfamiliar flower's compulsive aroma. In order to mask the overpowering and remaining odour of sweat and her own blood from the night, she pinned the stem to the corner of her dirtied dress. _

_Unsteadily, she struggled to stand on her feet and to walk to the open doorway with a flimsy curtain blocking her way. She pushed aside the fabric hanging above the doorway, stepping out into a clearing in the middle of a forest. Her eyes winced to the sudden light difference between the dark hut and the beautiful autumn day. Caroline took her time observing and relishing the new day, appreciatively enjoying the fact that she had survived the night with a mysterious remedy that healed her from the inexplicable bite, which must have been given to her during her slumber. _

_"Buttercup." A voice echoed behind her just as a warm breeze had carried a new but familiar scent to her nose. "The flower. It is called a buttercup."_

_Caroline spun around in the direction she came from the hut and in the same direction of the voice. She could barely comprehend the sight, but at the same time, she wondered how she failed to recognize his voice from last night. "Niklaus... was it you who saved me from last night?" Caroline asked, timidly._

_He slowly nodded. "Yes. You were reckless and your life nearly paid for the price, my sweet Caroline. How could I ever live on, knowing that I had failed to keep you existing in the same world as I? I would refuse to live another day if you were gone."_

_"Why have you followed me here?"_

_"Evidently, you need me as much as I need you. I have so much to tell you, Caroline. So much to teach you. Things that I should have told you long before this new life. Can you give me today to explain everything and anything you wish and need to know? If you still refuse me to be in your life, I will let you go and I will not pursue ever again."_

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline sprang out of the motel bed she had fallen asleep in the night before, gasping for air and clutching onto her hammering heartbeat. She could never understand why the more she thought of the past and the moments that made her the person she was today, had always felt as if they had occurred the night before when in reality, they happened centuries ago. The place he touched her on her hand and cheek still felt warm as if he was truly there. She could never forget the feeling of a deadly wolf bite, slowly draining her of her energy and the very life she possessed for two-hundred-plus years. At vulnerable moments like these, when she was granted to wake up to another day and to watch the sunrise from her window, she thought of the past and how her entire existence could have been different if she didn't hold such resentment towards him. But after nine-hundred years of hunting him down, waiting patiently for her opportunity to deliver an absolute death to him, it was far too delayed to live this existence any differently.

After she had showered and got dressed, she finished off a blood bag from her restocked mini-fridge in the small motel room. Caroline regretted her decision to her arrive at her next destination, but it was too late to turn back now. She arrived at the recognizable hotel door as she stared at it after she had knocked on it. Suddenly, but expectedly, Katherine appeared behind the door. Caroline caught a glimpse of shock and confusion in the girl's eyes, but as always those emotion were buried and quickly replaced by calmness and nonchalance.

Katherine leaned in the doorway on one hip while her hand rested on the other. "Have you come here to kiss-n'-make-up already?" She asked, her tone leaked of expectancy, as if she utterly assumed it was only a matter of days for Caroline to come back to her. "You know, when you said 'forever', I actually believed you. But clearly, forever just got a lot shorter for us, hasn't it?"

"I am not here to congratulate you on your compulsive decision to create a new vampire, let alone the sheriff's only daughter. If anything, I'm very disappointed in you. I always knew your habits would never changed no matter what town or city we ended up in. But your dramatic reappearance to this town has already caused so much pain and already so much commotion."

Katherine sighed, impatiently. "Let me guess. You're not here to rejoin me, so instead you just came here to scold me for my actions. Well, since we're not friends anymore, I don't have to explain anything to you."

"As you we both know, Katerina, I have always stood by your side, even when your impulsive decisions have destroyed the lives of the innocent and the ordinary. At most times, I have never agreed with your way to live your existence, but I have always been loyal to you because it was the right thing to do at the time. It has taken me a long time to realize that you would throw anyone, even me, into the depths of Hell if it saved your own skin." Caroline explained.

"What are you here for, Caroline? If you're here to remind me of the past and of what use to be, then feel free to leave. I don't need to get my hopes up of you ever returning to my side again. It has never been one of my wishes to have you as my enemy oppose to you as my partner-in-crime."

"I've simply come here to talk." She said with barely a smile across her lips. "Can I come in?"

Katherine slightly nodded, stepping aside and opening the door wider for Caroline to walk through and then closed the door behind her. "Have you had any blood lately?" She asked as Caroline took a seat on the end of the bed.

"Yes, I have. I already had a bag before I left."

"So," Katherine started and sat in the chair in front of Caroline, "what have you come to talk to me about?"

"Remember Mason Lockwood, the boy we met in Florida last year?"

"The werewolf boy? Of course I remember him. What of it?" She responded with lack of concern again.

"Did you know that he has arrived in Mystic Falls? He probably followed you here, didn't he?"

"Of course I know he's here. I was the one who contacted him, saying his dear older brother has passed away and that everyone in town were gathering to pay their respects the other day. But since Mason was always reluctant to come back to Mystic Falls, I didn't think he would come. And when he did, I made sure I didn't reunite with him just yet."

"What are you planning, Katerina? There is another reason why you lured him here and yet, you still refuse to tell me."

"I do not trust you anymore, Caroline. You've sided with the Salvatores and my annoying little doppelganger. How can I confess all of ulterior motives, if I know you are going to report back to them?"

"Well, whether you believe me or not, I have yet to declare to them that Mason and his side of the family are werewolves. They are currently trying to figure that out. They were even desperate enough to ask for my assistance, but I've yet to expose anything useful or excessive to them."

"Perhaps your telling the truth, maybe not. Where your loyalty lies, only time can tell, right?" Katherine said as she stood up, sliding on her leather jacket and readjusting the collar. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be and people to see."

"But of course. Go on ahead. I'll let myself out."

Caroline watched Katherine twist around on her heel and sashayed her body out of the room. She waited to take her leave herself, truly unable to fully determine who and where her loyalty remains with.

_**Flashback (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 1864)**_

On the night of the Founder's Ball, Caroline helped Katherine get ready before Stefan would escort her to the Lockwood's Mansion. She finished pinning Katherine's perfect ringlets into a complicated updo hairstyle after Caroline applied very little make-up to her face and before she helped Katherine slip into her beautiful lavender dress. Despite Katherine's pleas for Caroline to accompany her, Caroline had refused to appear alone. And so, she decided to stay behind. Surely there would be more social gatherings in the future during their stay in Mystic Falls.

"Are you _certain _you do not want to come tonight, Caroline? We have great matters to discuss with our new, hospitable neighbours." Katherine asked as she pinched her cheeks to make them rosier in front of her vanity mirror.

"No, I have made up my mind. We are new to this town and we barely know anyone. I refuse to go to a social gathering alone with you and your escort." Caroline explained, finishing up tightening her corset strings. "But alas, I am not offended or saddened, I shall catch up on my reading tonight. The library has demanded my presence."

Katherine groaned, irritably. "How can you spend your existence in constant books? Despite our short arrival, they're are tempting and amiable bachelors who are falling at your feet, and yet you refuse them. Don't you dare lie to me, Caroline. I'm fully aware that countless men have asked you to the Ball tonight, but you still refuse them. Pray, tell me why."

"Unlike you, I do not exist to the world in order to make it my business with desperate, attention-seizing fools. I prefer to bore myself in the company of reading books and poetry, opposed to dancing and eyeballing handsome young humans until my heart's content."

"No matter what your excuse you wish to deceive me with, you are definitely missing out on a marvellous night." Suddenly, Katherine's eyes sparkled with a new idea. "Say, why don't you ask Damon to be your escort? I give you my approval to do so."

"Katherine, how dare you? Just because you have the other Salvatore brother on your arm tonight, does not mean you should throw away Damon's affections in the process. You are playing a dangerous game here. Why must you have both brothers at your alter?" Caroline scolded, heatedly.

"Is it so wrong for me to want them both?" She asked, innocently.

"Indeed! It is all fun and games until you have destroyed their brotherhood for all eternity. In the end, you dare wish to change them both? If you do so, I refuse to watch the scene play out in front of me."

"I do not seek a quarrel with you tonight, Caroline." Katherine warned, tiredly before she stood up and faced her friend. "Tonight, my intention is to make my presence known to our neighbours and to hopefully discuss with George Lockwood on rather important rumours I have received throughout our friends."

Caroline nodded slowly before studying Katherine from head-to-toe. "You look beautiful."

"Of course I do," She said cheerfully while spinning around in a circle, "this is the dress _you_ made for me. A Caroline Forbes Original."

"Nay, it is you who makes its beauty come to life." Caroline leaned in towards her best friend and kissed both of her cheeks. "The carriage must be upfront by now. Make haste and do not keep your escort waiting any longer then you already have."

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

It barely took five minutes for Caroline to step inside the Mystic Grill to see Elena Gilbert, reading some ancient book, and ignoring Damon's advances to repair their fragile, 'hypothetical' friendship. Caroline listened at the door of their conversation, blocking out the rest of the chatter amongst the room.

"Okay, see you at Jenna's barbecue." Damon mentioned hastily just as Elena was about to take her leave from his sight.

To his luck, she stopped and turned to face him again. "How did you now about Jenna's barbeque?"

"It was my idea." He clarified, matter-of-factly. "Jenna went to high school with Mason Lockwood, so I figured a social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy. So I told Ric to tell Jenna and..."

"Does Jenna know that you're going to be there," Elena interrupted, "because she's not exactly a fan of yours."

A waitress arrives at their table with a box and gives it to him. "Perfect, thank you. I'm hoping this peach cobbler will pave the way." He said as he stood up to leave.

"What are you up to?" Elena asked, suspiciously.

"I'm gonna put some silver into Mason Lockwood and prove he is a werewolf. See you at the barbeque." Damon walked towards the door, only to be stopped by Caroline in the way.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Damon said, disappointedly. "As I recall, I thought you were determined on leaving here as soon as you seized the opportunity."

Caroline shrugged, nonchalantly. "Things have changed." She twitched her head back at Elena, who had returned to her seat and continued to read before she was rudely interrupted by this brute of a being. "Let me guess. You've done something unforgivable, so the lovely Elena had used you in the process to obtain the information she needed. So, in the end, _you're _allowed to deceive and destroy others, but once she does, it's utterly inexcusable."

Damon's face hardened, trying to step around Caroline but she mirrored his actions. "You don't know anything."

"Don't I? Tell me. What have you done this time?"

He sighed, tediously. "Long story short, I may have drunkenly and impulsively snapped Jeremy Gilbert's neck, unaware that he was wearing the Gilbert ring to bring him back to life."

"I see. She has every right to be angry with you. But rest assured, I'm not here to scold you. At least not today."

"Then, what do you want?"

"I couldn't help but overhear your little conversation with the Gilbert girl. You're planning to prove to everyone that Mason is indeed a werewolf."

"Or you can save me the trouble and stop pretending that you have abrupt selective amnesia to knowing what he really is."

"Even if I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe nor trust me. You've always been that way, even as a human. If you wanted to know the truth, you would have to see it with your own eyes. Because rumours are easily invented and misinterpreted."

"What do you want, Caroline?"

Caroline smiled while walking to his side and linking her arm around his. "I would like to accompany you." He gave her a warning look, but before he could rebuff, she quickly assured him. "I promise I won't sell you out. And besides, I doubt Mason Lockwood could ever remember me. Even if he did, he wouldn't make a scene"

Damon sighed harshly, before squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose as if there was an ache there. "Let's go." He muttered, regrettably. They exited the Grill with linked arms and towards Damon's blue Camaro.

"Do you remember the Founders Ball in 1864?" Caroline asked after Damon started driving to the Gilbert's house.

Damon snorted. "How can I not forget. Katherine refused me and she went with Stefan. The first to many refusals."

"Excuse me, but I believe that we were on the same boat that night. As I recall, neither of us had a date." She explained, defensively.

"Oh yes, I had the privilege to escorting the _next_ best thing to the Founder's Ball." He said with a devilish grin.

"Hey, you're the one who asked me at last minute. You're just lucky I didn't refuse you. It was essential that the Salvatores attended the Founder's Balls and I could have declined and you would have gone alone."

"Admit it, you pitied me."

"Well, if you say it like _that_, then perhaps I did."

When the arrived at the house, everyone was already there in the kitchen. Damon walked through the front door easily while Caroline stopped abruptly at the doorway. "Damon!" Caroline hissed through her clenched teeth. "The owner of this house has to invite me in."

Damon thought about it before shaking his head. "Or maybe I should go solo on this mission."

"There are other ways I can enter this house." She threatened with an evil smile. "And you're already on thin ice with this family. I don't think they'd be very happy with you if this residence was burnt to the ground because you led some psychotic vampire here."

His features hardened, disliking the fact that she was right and that he was being threatened. Damon disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen just as Elena came running down the stairs.

Caroline smiled, welcomingly. "Hello Elena."

She didn't bother trying hid her jolt of surprise. "Caroline. What are you doing here?"

"Making sure Damon doesn't get himself into _too_ much trouble tonight. How's everything with Alison?"

"She's getting better, but could use a day of distraction."

"I believe you both do. However it appears that I'm kind of stuck, if you haven't noticed. And I was wondering if you could let me in. If anything happens to your home, I promise it won't be from my hands."

"Yeah, of course." Elena smiled, briefly. "Come in."

Caroline looked down at the ground, feeling the invisible barrier in front of her suddenly disappearing, and stepped inside the house. "Thank you." She said, bowing her head slightly at Elena before she walked around her and into the kitchen. Alaric and a girl with light, golden-auburn hair were discreetly exiting the room the minute Damon stepped in. Caroline watched from the open doorway as Mason introduced himself.

"She doesn't like me very much." Damon explained.

"We haven't met," Mason said as he offered his hand, "Mason Lockwood."

"Oh sure. Damon Salvatore." He shook his hand, enthusiastically.

"I know. I heard great things about you." Mason admitted, amusingly.

"Really? That's weird, cause' I'm a dick." He muttered, proudly.

"Well, isn't _that_ the understatement of the year." Caroline chimed in and the two boys had their eyes on her. The realization on Mason's face was undeniable, he recognized her instantly. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Caroline, a friend of Damon's." She introduced sweetly, offering her hand to Mason. He hesitantly shook it, darting his eyes in between Damon and the girl, trying to figure out what was going on between the two. "Who's up for pictionary?" She announced, sashaying her way to the living room where Jenna and Alaric were seated. Caroline introduced herself to Jenna and pretended to be meeting Alaric for the first time. Luckily for her, Jenna appeared to be tipsy enough to get along with Caroline quite nicely.

After Mason had won another around of pictionary, Damon left the room to help Elena get everything ready for desert in the kitchen and Jenna quickly followed him there. Alaric and Alison excused themselves with sudden reasons to leave from the awkward tension between Mason and Caroline. The minute they were alone, Mason dropped his 'happy-go-lucky' attitude and turned to Caroline. "What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed.

"Making new friends, but clearly you're reuniting with some old ones, aren't you?" Caroline asked. "As I recall, you hated Mystic Falls and its baggage and secrets. You wanted nothing to do with this town."

"And I still don't. I came here to pay my respects to my older brother and my family. To help out with my nephew."

"Oh yes, Tyler, wasn't it? Is there another significant reason why you came here? Involving your beloved nephew, perhaps?"

"What game are you trying to play?" He asked, evading the question.

"I'm simply trying to figure out the truth, Mason. Recently, Katherine's return is quite convenient and coincidental to yours. And so, I'm curious if there is a common reason to both of your desperate needs to return to this town."

"Why would ask me that? I haven't talked to Katherine since last year in Florida."

_Lie_. "You know, that's hard to believe because last time I checked, you were pretty smitten with her. I doubt you would let go a girl as remarkable as Katherine so easily."

"I'm sure if Katherine was back in Mystic Falls, I'd know about it."

"How foolish do you think I am, Mason? I know for a fact that you're just part of the reason why Katherine decided to return to this town, out of the blue. And I'm determined out what that reason is."

"Good luck, but you won't be getting any help from me."

"Noted." Caroline said, coldly as she listened into the conversation behind her in the kitchen.

_"These are fancy." _Damon complimented Jenna, trying to get on her good side.

_"Thanks."_ Jenna said, distractedly. _"My mother's silver set."_

Caroline didn't have to turn around to know the light bulb that went off in Damon's head. And she could only sense that this night wasn't going to get any better.

When Damon's attempt to frame Mason with a silver cake knife had failed, he decided to throw tacky jokes and implications his way and, the wisenheimer that Caroline remembered Mason as, returned vampire puns back at him. After everyone had finished their desert, they began to play Guitar Hero, a game Caroline was aware of but would be caught dead ever participating in. She decided to help Damon clean up the dishes and to hand-wash them so that they could talk in private.

"Did you find out anything?" Damon carried the dirty dishes to the sink.

Caroline took the plates and gently placed them in the sink of soapy water. "I have a theory that he's here for more then one understandable reason, if that's what your asking."

"Need any help?" Mason asked, strolling into the kitchen.

"Actually, I think I'm going to see if anyone's up to bear with my singing the next round." Caroline said as she quickly left the two boys to continue their conversation over desert. She listened into there conversation while she sang a passable version of_ Rock N' Roll All Nite _by: _Kiss_. Mason stated he wasn't Damon's enemy and attempted to apologize for trying to kill Stefan, only wanting to make friends with them. Although Damon shook his hand in agreement and appeared to accept the apology, Caroline knew this wasn't the end and he wouldn't give up until he has his proof.

In the front foyer, everyone was getting ready to leave while Jenna was busy giving out slices of the peach cobbler to Mason and Alaric in kitchen.

"Hey, I'll meet you at the Grill in an hour, okay?" Caroline said in a low tone to Damon while they slid into their jackets.

"Got it." Damon said, dismissively.

"And by the way, don't do something you're going to regret. Despite the vagueness to his return, he really sounds like he doesn't want make any enemies. Including you."

"I'm finishing what I came here to do." He hissed in a persistent tone.

Caroline shrugged. "Whatever happens tonight, it's on you."

Immediately after Caroline entered the Grill, it was as busy as every night. But a certain and unseen conversation had captured Caroline's senses the minute she walked in.

_"Katherine."_ Alison's voice suddenly acknowledged somewhere that was not seen in the bar.

_"Care to share how you couldn't follow through with __one__ simple task?"_ Katherine asked, threateningly.

_"I-I-I tried, okay?"_ The poor girl stuttered, nervously. _"I c-couldn't exactly kidnap my best friend."_

_"Occupy her,"_ Katherine clarified. _"That's all I asked."_

_"I told her that her relationship was doomed and all that mortality stuff. An-And I think... I-I really think I got to her." _

_"I hope so, because let's not forget,"_ she said harshly, _"I already killed you once, I can easily do it again."_

Caroline decided not to get involved, at least not this time. She now understood that Katherine was using Alison to create some space and separation between Stefan and Elena's relationship. She also learnt that Katherine must've spent the entire day with Stefan until Elena stopped by his house to check up on him. It didn't take long for Elena to arrive at the Grill with Stefan. They sat down at a booth, engaging into a conversation. Before anyone knew it, they resulted in a permanent break-up that was too horrible for Caroline to comprehend. After Elena had left, Damon was spotted at the bar and Alison was sitting alone at her own table, absorbing every word that was thrown into their argument. Once again, Caroline was at a loss of awareness around her as the memories of the past consumed her thoughts.

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

Caroline never imagined herself leaving the one person she ever loved. She imagined herself remaining by his side until the end of the world, no matter what words were traded or what obstacle was thrown their way. But she knew that this was for the best. She had to leave him, for their own sanity. There was a reason why the world continued to separate them from each other. They were simply not meant to be together, but to love each other for all eternity. But now she knew the truth about everything. About what he is, where he comes from and why her village was burnt to the ground. It was all out of his father's personal revenge towards his step-son. Her family, her friends. Everyone had perished in the inferno and into ashes. She wondered that if she had never met Niklaus, that her family would have lived and died peacefully and naturally. And most definitely, she would not be a vampire. Despite her family's sacrifice, it could never change how Caroline would always feel towards him. He completed her and saved her, in every possible way a person can be saved.

But now, on the night that she was escaping from his grasp, she had to learn to bury those smouldering affections towards Niklaus Mikaelson. She would study and train to become the best of the best of the hunters that were out there and ever was before her. For now she knew that if she could not be his devoted lover, she would always be his greatest enemy for pain and wreckage and the deaths he had caused, in spite of the endless love she would always feel and memories she would always remember.

**live2write123: on a side note, Klaus will be making his reappearance BEFORE the fifteen chapter of this story :D just be patient! :D it'll be long awaited for, i promise :). love you all and until next time, goodnight! :3**


	9. Chapter Eight

**live2write123: hey everyone! once again, i'd like to take the time to thank each and every one of you who review, favourite, alert or even simply read this story! i didn't think anyone would like it, i'm just an obsessed Klaroline fan who's a fan of this website and the stories that people write about who decided to write her own for shits and giggles :P. my friends absolutely HATE Klaus (and i have no idea why) but when i sign into here or get an email on my hotmail from Fanfiction, i know that i'm walking into the world of non-Klaroline haters :3. it's like i'm accepted into a stereotypical high school clique :). so thank you! i give you all virtual hugs and kisses :).**

**ps. i'm not gonna give much of a summary to this chapter, but i WILL say that Caroline gets a little dark and violent in this episode :$. you have been warned if i had gone into TOO much detail, but i wanted to express the fact that by all means, Caroline is a loyal, compassionate and very strong vampire but that can easily flip. she has a switch that when it comes to people who cross a line, she makes sure they never do it again! **

**pss. it's never occurred to me that i haven't picked out a character for Alison Young to portray, and i've decided to pick Deborah Ann Woll from True Blood! i adore this actress so much and she's perfect for the role/how i picture this character to look like :). what do you think? do you think Deborah can pull off as Alison? tell me what you think! please enjoy, review, favourite and alert! :D**

**Chapter Eight: Good As Gone**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

The following morning, Caroline was invited to meet up with Stefan and Damon at their house to head over to the Historical Society Volunteer Day together in order to help build a park for the community. Caroline had snuck into their house before the sun had risen and made them a good old fashioned _human _Sunday breakfast. Something had clearly upset Damon the night before since he refused her 'human' breakfast, but Stefan was in high spirits to accompany her with the most important meal of the day.

"Damon, you better be on your best behaviour today." Stefan warned him after he helped Caroline hand-dry the dishes while she washed them.

Damon snorted, finishing his coffee and placing the mug in the sink. "There's no such thing about me and being on my 'best' behaviour in the same sentence, brother."

"Your little fight with Mason was the last of the violence we will display towards Mason, let alone anyone else, okay?"

"Can't you promise anything, Stef. I'm pretty unpredictable, don't you think?" He said with a wink.

"Please, Damon." Caroline urged. "We need peace in this town. Let's make a pact right now. If he does try to retaliate today or reveal us to the town after your attack last night, we fight back. Together. It's our skin against his, right?"

Stefan nodded. "Agreed."

"Fine." Damon muttered, miserably.

Caroline pushed opened the curtains to their living room. "It's a beautiful day today for volunteering outdoors."

Although deep down inside of her, in the pit of her stomach, she knew that despite the stunningly bright morning, something was off and she couldn't put her finger on what could possibly go wrong today. But then again, it was Mystic Falls. Everything went wrong on a daily basis.

"This all part of the historical society, continuing efforts to give back to the community. Thanks to the generous donation of the Fell family. We are now standing on the site of our newest public park. Thank you to everyone who has shown up today to lend a helping hand. Thanks." Carol Lockwood, the 'stand-in Mayor' until the elections came around, said lively through the microphone.

"Is she always this jolly?" Caroline asked Damon when they arrived at the park and stood in the crowd of applauding people in front of Carol standing behind the podium. Everyone of all ages were helping out. Raking the fallen leaves, mowing the grass, painting newly built structures, planting flowers, and many other tasks to keep themselves busy.

"Unfortunately." Damon muttered. "But it's mostly just a mask to hide her major anxiety and OCD problems."

For the first time ever, Caroline genuinely laughed at his joke towards the Mayor while Stefan scolded them with a simple look that told them to be respectful. Once everyone finished applauding and scattered to their tasks, Stefan scanned the crowd for a certain someone. Caroline wasn't surprised to see Mason unloading boxes and coolers from his truck and before she knew it, Stefan disappeared from her side and was already walking towards Mason.

"We'd better behave, Damon. Or Stefan will never forgive us."

Damon rolled his eyes. "If you haven't noticed, I've done a lot of bad things and I never gave a damn if Stefan ever approved of it or not."

"You promised him. And so did I. Even though I despise the thought that Mason is back in town, I won't harm him if he's not going to fight back. However it's too much of a coincidence that he's here at this particular timing, the same time Katherine arrived. She told me yesterday morning that she was the one who called him and told him his brother, the Mayor, had died."

He looked at her. "Katherine told you this?"

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, before I arrived at the Grill to meet up with you."

"Then there has to be another reason why he's here. Katherine doesn't have a generous bone in her body to hand over the bad news out of legitimate concern for others."

"I agree. We'll figure it out today, without harming Mason Lockwood. Stefan will have our heads if we make a scene."

"Fine, as long as I get my information today, I'll be as cool as a cucumber." Damon said. "How about you put your extremely disturbing but exceptionally useful spying abilities to work and let's see what you come up with."

Caroline's eyes watched Mason reluctantly shake Stefan's hand and turned to walk away. "I'm already on it." She vowed.

During the new agreement between Stefan and Mason, Caroline listened thoroughly and despite Mason's hesitation to Stefan's union, it appeared that all the war was ceased to ignite once again. But according to a werewolf's characteristics, they aren't one to forget a failed assailant, let alone a successful one. There had to be a reason why Mason would merely forgive Stefan and Damon with a simple handshake to call a truce. While Damon followed Stefan off into the distance to talk about wanting 'peace', Caroline remained close to Mason as he approached the sheriff.

_"Look, I know vampires exist and you have two of them living right under your nose."_ Mason countered, trying to convince Sheriff Liz Young, Alison's mother that there were indeed vampires have returned to Mystic Falls.

_"Really?"_ Liz asked, unconvinced. _"Who would they be?"_

He hesitated, his eyes scanning the pack of working humans to see if anyone was near enough to hear him. _"Damon and Stefan Salvatore."_

_"That's impossible,"_ Liz rejected. _"I know Damon Salvatore. Do you know what he's done for this town? I watched him kill vampires. He's an ally, he's part of the council, something you refused to be a part of when you left town."_

_"I did that because I wanted a life outside of this town, not because I was a non-believer."_ Mason stated, honestly. _"Think about it. When did the vampire attacks begin? When Damon and Stefan Salvatore move to town?"_

_"They walk in the sun, Mason."_ Liz stubbornly countered back.

_"They've evolved. It's not 1864 anymore, Liz. They figured it out by now."_

She shook her head. _"No, Damon Salvatore is my friend."_

_"What if I can prove it to you?"_ He asked as Mason stared down and the two brothers walking together and deep into conversation. Liz followed his gaze for a minute or two before returning her glance to him and simply walking away.

Once Liz was out of his sight, Caroline approached him. "You're going to get yourself killed, you know."

"Caroline. I knew I sniffed out a nosy little eavesdropper nearby."

"And I see wolf boy is still hanging around Mystic Falls. If, in fact, you were here to visit family, don't you think that your visit here has been a little bit overdue by now?"

"I wouldn't be one to talked. You came here, for what reason? You have no family here. No one to talk to."

"I have a family. Stefan and Damon are my family and everyone they hold close to their hearts, are my family as well. I would hate to make a scene right now, so I'll make it quick." Caroline grabbed a random screwdriver on the picnic bench beside her and stabbed into his midsection, causing him to groan in pain and double over. "If you dare to even touch a member of _my_ family, I'll gut you like a fish and then feed your remains to the wolves."

Mason growled. "I didn't throw you under the bus."

"But you crossed a line. Damon's no saint, but he's just looking out for his family. And don't even let me get started on Stefan. He's innocent in this, but you lied to him today and now you're planning frame them." Caroline clarified. "As if I would stand back, and watch that happen." She quickly removed the weapon from his stomach and tossed him aside to sit on the bench. "You might want to get that checked out. I know a vampire would just _love _to drain you dry before the lunch bell rings."

"Can I ask you a question. Stef?" Caroline said when she found him stomping away in the opposite direction to Elena.

"If it's about Elena, then I'm not in the mood, Care."

"Why are you letting Katherine get under your skin, or better yet, in between your relationship with Elena?"

"It's more complicated then that. She could hurt her. Yesterday, I spent the entire day with Katherine in the cellar, trying to pull out the truth from her. The reason why she came back still bewilders me to the core."

"Perhaps Katherine had returned to reunite with you. She only really did love you more then anyone she could ever another. It was always you, Stefan. But that doesn't mean she's _deserves_ you now. Not after what she's done to this town and to your family."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that, whether this fight with Elena is sincere or not, you shouldn't be afraid of what Katherine might do to someone innocent or someone important to Elena's life. I'm over four-hundred-years older then her. I can put Katherine in her place before she could ever put Elena into any harm."

"And are you willing to throw away your friendship with Katherine that easily, as if it was nothing? All because of a girl and a bunch of vampires that don't mean anything to you? Katherine was your _best_ friend, Caroline. No matter what happened between you two, the fighting and the disagreements never lasted forever."

"I meant what I said when I told her I wouldn't forgive her this time. The day when she could finally turn this lifestyle around would be day I will rejoin her. But she has never given me that day and never will. I've given up hope for that selfish vampire. I can assure you that the love you have for Elena, will always be the reason to exist in the world. If you think a hundred and fifty years is long, try nine hundred. Never let go of that love, Stefan, okay? No matter what. Even when you cannot be together at this particular moment."

Stefan looked deep into her eyes, into her soul, for minute longer then he normally would have done but turned around and walked to Damon, who was standing by the lemonade stand just as Mason left. Caroline quickly followed him there. "Working hard or hardly working?" She asked, acknowledging Damon.

He winked her way. "You know me so well."

"Please tell me that you were just bonding." Stefan said, referring to Mason.

"I've already told you, brother. There's not going to be any violence and I'm giving peace a chance, just like you said." His eyes slowly fell to Caroline and smiled. "I wish I could say the same about this one."

Stefan looked over his shoulder to see Caroline glaring at Damon. "What did you do, Caroline?" Stefan asked, unenthusiastically.

She shrugged. "I sent him a message."

"Caroline." He said, evenly.

"All right! I stabbed him with a screwdriver." Caroline explained and quickly finished her sentence by the accusing look on Stefan's face. "He threatened to expose you guys. Of course I made myself perfectly clear that if he did that, he'll have to answer to me."

"Caroline..." Stefan drifted off, exasperatedly.

"Would you like some lemonade?" A young girl behind Damon asked him, holding out a plastic cup of juice.

"Thank you, sweetie." Damon said, sweetly accepting the glass and taking a sip of it only to spit it back out before it went down his throat.

"What's wrong with you?" Stefan asked, helping Damon to sit down.

"Vervain," Damon gasped out. "Vervain."

Caroline sat on the other side of Damon as Stefan grabbed a water bottle, she looked over her shoulder to see the sheriff retreating and frantically dialling a phone number before disappearing into the forest.

"We've got trouble." Caroline announced. Damon gargled his water and spat it out into the grass. "Mason has set us up. I'm sorry, if only I didn't provoke him. It wasn't my intention to push him over the edge. None of this would have happened. At least not today it wouldn't have."

"I doubt it. He would expose whether or not you provoked him today. He's been planning it all day, despite my call for a truce." Stefan said. "You were just looking out for us, Care."

"I'm gonna kill him." Damon muttered, breathlessly.

Stefan struggled to push his aggravated brother to sit down. "Listen to me, sit down and calm down."

"I'm not listening to anymore of your 'give peace a chance' crap. He's dead!"

"Okay, he's making threats and trying to expose us. We need to put him down."

"All right, let's do it." Damon said just as he sees Mason going into the woods with garbage bins and bags in his hands. "Wood. Trash duty. Come on."

"I'll go get some reinforcements from my car and I'll meet you there." Caroline assured, walking in the opposite direction and towards her car.

_"Where are you going?"_ Elena asked Alison as she followed her into the forest and onto higher ground. _"What's going on?"_

_"I need to be able to hear better."_ Alison explained, calmly.

_"Hear what?"_

_"Something's wrong, Elena."_

"You girls shouldn't be here." Caroline warned Elena and Alison when she had returned with bows and arrows and a jar of a liquefied herb.

"What's going on?" Alison asked boldly, picking up on her mother's urgent need for her deputies to show up on sight and off duty.

"Nothing that should involve you. Now, please. If you value your lives, turn around before-" Caroline abruptly stopped talking and listened into a conversation further into the forest. _"Don't look surprised." _Damon's voice appeared to her ears. In an instant, Caroline disappeared with her vampire speed and ran to hide behind a tree on hilltop, looking down below at Stefan and Damon cornering Mason. _"You knew this was inevitable." _Damon continued as Caroline dipped her arrow into the jar of the liquefied herb before pulling it back into her arrow and aiming at Mason. _"Go head, run. We'll give you a head start."_

She released her arrow and it connected with his left forearm, causing him scream out in pain. Although he could stand his own ground, he deliberately bent over as wooden bullets shot into Damon and Stefan's midsections repeatedly. Caroline was prepared to shoot Liz and her two deputies while the Salvatore brothers rested still on the ground with vervain injected into their bodies to keep them down. But she knew the consequences for that mistake if she killed them. One of them was Alison's mother. She withdrew her arrow and stared down at Mason as he followed the deputies, dragging Stefan and Damon into the old Lockwood Cellars while holding his injured arm.

"Thank you, Mason. Are you okay? Who shot that arrow?" Liz asked Mason, regarding his mysterious arrow wound.

He broke it off and tried to pull out of his arm, despite the poisonous herb seeping into his bloodstream. "I'm fine. I'll deal with it. Be careful and don't take any chances."

Luckily for her, Caroline didn't need to search for Mason in order to continue their little disagreement. It didn't take long for Alison and Elena to approach closer to the scene and for him to run into them just as he was leaving the 'old slave quarters from the original Lockwood Manor'. _"What are you two doing out here?"_ He asked the two girls.

Elena turned to him. _"Have you seen Stefan?"_

_"Yeah, Elena, I've seen them. I've seen Damon too."_

_"Where are they?"_

_"You don't need me for that. I'll let your friend here sniff them out." _Mason said, referring to Alison and he looked at the redhead. _"Does your mom know what you are? I'm happy to tell her."_

"That won't be needed, Mason." Caroline said, stepping in before Alison could attack him. "How's your arm? Or better yet, how's your stomach wound? It appears that you have a score to settle and I'm winning."

"How can I forget? You almost exposed _me_ today with that arrow dipped in wolfsbane."

"An eye for eye. I told what would happen if you came after my family. Now, why don't you come after me and regain the little dignity you have left." Caroline looked briefly over her shoulder at Alison and Elena. "Go on ahead. They're in the Lockwood Cellars. And Alison? Whatever happens, whether you choose to expose yourself to your mother today or not, I'll be here for you."

"I'm not going to ask you again Mason, why have you really returned to Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked as they circled each other.

"So what if I came for another reason? It's not like I'd ever tell you. You've sided with the enemy."

"You came here because Katherine asked you to, didn't she? What could she _possibly_ want from you?"

"Maybe she missed me."

"Try again."

"No, we had a thing in Florida a year ago. It was real and I know how she feels about me." Mason said, determinedly. "And she certainly knows how I feel about her."

"So you came back here, out of your love for Katherine? Well, if that's the true then you're a blind fool who's chasing his tail in circles. Katherine Pierce doesn't love anyone but herself! You'll end up dead if you continue to pursue her."

"Whatever happens between Katherine and me, is none of your business."

Suddenly, Caroline stopped circling him and listened into a familiar but very distant voice. _"He's not going to tell us anything. Kill them both."_ The sheriff's voice came to her ears, regarding Damon and Stefan's lives. Caroline quickly rushed over to Mason, kneeing him into the groin before kicking his body into a tree. She ran over to the Lockwood Cellars, stepping beside Elena and Alison just standing at the steps to go down. "Alison, what is it?" Elena asked her worried friend.

"My mom. She's killing them." She answered.

The girl's eyes widened. "What? We have to stop her!"

She tried to run into the Cellar, but Alison stopped her. "No, I can't Elena. She's going to find out about me."

But Elena ran into the Cellar anyway. "You don't need to come in with us, Alison. I'll take care of them." Caroline promised and she followed Elena.

Even with an enhanced vampire mind, Caroline could never predict or fully comprehend what occurred with her own eyes. All she knew was the end, as if it was fast forward and it sped past everything. In the end, Alison killed both of the deputies and revealed her true form to her mom, which was not an easy decision or revelation. Especially when you were raised by a vampire-hating family. Caroline knew everything about it. Damon was currently drinking the blood of one of the deputies to regain his strength, while Stefan suffered the aftermath of wooden bullets and vervain injection. Elena comforted the grunting Stefan, clearly starving for blood, but refused to drink the blood around them. It just wasn't an option.

"You need to drink some deputy blood." Damon urged, regaining his strength already.

"No." Stefan groaned. "I'm gonna be fine. It's just gonna take a little bit longer."

"Damon's right, you know." Alison pitched in from the corner. "If there's ever a time to break your diet..."

"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena stated, firmly.

Caroline walked up to him and dropped a plastic water bottle in front of him. Everyone looked up at her, confused. "I killed a rabbit this morning and drained its blood into that bottle. I wouldn't trick you into anything, Stefan. I promise."

Stefan didn't hesitate, he grabbed the bottle, unscrewed the lid and chugged it down his throat while Elena stroked his back.

Damon staggered to his feet. "This is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead," he turned to Liz who was cowardly sitting in the opposite corner to her daughter, "and you. What am I gonna do with you?"

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Alison asked but Liz refused to look at her, horrified of the reality she was facing. "Mom? Mom? Please. Look, I know we don't get along and that you hate me, but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right? Mom, please. He will kill you."

Liz looked up at Damon. "Then kill me."

"What? No!" Alison objected.

"I can't take this. Kill me now." Liz urged

Damon bent over to look in her eyes at her eye-level. "But you were gonna drag it out so painfully." Out of the blue, Damon caught her and pulled her onto her feet.

"No! Don't kill her, Damon! She's my mom!" Alison begged.

"Damon, don't!" Stefan warned.

"Damon, please!" Elena begged.

Damon glanced them, casually . "Relax guys. No one's killing anybody." He turned his head to look at Liz again and his features softened. "You're my friend."

After a minute or two, he looked around at the dead bodies. "We've got to clean this up."

Caroline raised her hand, dusting off her hands from her jeans. "Consider it done."

When she finished cleaning up the bodies, Caroline drove her car over to the Salvatore's home before Mason would come back for round four in one day. Since Liz had vervain in her system, Damon decided to keep her in one of their guest rooms so that they could compel her to forget everything. She still refused to see Alison, which led her to ask them to keep her daughter away from her.

"She's your daughter, Liz." Damon started.

"Not anymore. My daughter's gone." Liz muttered, sadly.

"You have no _idea_ how wrong you are about that." He emphasized before looking at Alison, who stood around the corner with her mom's suitcase, and leaves. Caroline quickly followed the poor girl downstairs and into the living room.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked as she sat in one of the couches.

"What do you think?" Alison snapped, pacing the floor. "My mom hates me! She can't even look at me, let alone talk to me. This changes everything."

"Maybe so, but you have to understand that you tried to do what was right by helping your friends today. So did I. I was best friends with Katherine, and today I went against her. You knew how your mom would react once she saw you as a vampire, yet you sacrificed that and still went in there knowing the consequences."

"Of course I did! My friends have done nothing but been there for me, especially now that I'm a vampire. But you don't understand. My mom and I have never seen eye-to-eye, even when I was a human. Now, she'll never forgive me. I might as well be a stranger. Or dead to her."

"Don't say that. I know more then you think I do. Centuries ago, before I was turned and when I was of age, my human mother and I always had different opinions. When searching for a suitor, it was an arranged marriage and for a definite and important reason whether it was for status, riches or a possible union between two tribes to create authority and intimidation against rivalling tribes. My mother always wanted to prepare and train me to become the perfect bride in beauty, intelligence and etiquette for a young man I had never met before. But everyday, I would sneak out of my home and hunt, sometimes with my father. He was the best hunter in the village and taught young men of age amongst the village I learned and loved how to fight for future attacks and war, even though there had always been peace. But my mother always scolded me for joining my father's lessons. After a few months, she stopped preparing me to become 'the perfect bride' and ever since then, she never accepted me as a daughter for years before I was turned."

"That's awful." Alison whispered, quietly.

Caroline shrugged. "I survived. I'm still here. But after she had died, I wish I had patched things up with her before she was gone and it was too late to change our relationship with her. I urge you to try and talk to her tomorrow."

"What if she rejects me again?"

"She should be worth the risk, no matter how many times you fail. Because we're vampires. The humans we hold close to our hearts are not and they don't live forever. Their lives are so fragile and temporary compared to ours and we need to seize the moment to do and say everything that are on our minds. Because one day, we'll regret we never did."

After a minute or two, she nodded. "I'll try." Alison said, doubtfully.

Caroline smiled, contently. "Good. And you should start by coming clean to your friends before it's too late for forgiveness."

At mere coincidence, Elena charged into the living room from upstairs, evidently and visibly upset, and Caroline looked at Alison, signalling her towards Elena with her eyes before taking her cue to leave. She didn't stray far. She heard the entire conversation, how the poor girl was threatened with Matt Donovan's life on the line into spying for Katherine. Alison also confessed that she was afraid to go home, because Katherine would be there to ask for her report.

Caroline was fed up with Katherine's threats and destructions. She was already outside and used her vampire speed to race to Alison's house in under two minutes.

Caroline didn't hesitate to invade the Young residence, nearly breaking down the door in the process. The minute she stepped in, she heard an exasperated sigh coming from one of the bedrooms. "It's about time you showed up." Katherine arrogantly stated, dully. "I was starting to wonder if I had to drag-"

She stopped mid-sentence when her eyes fell onto Caroline, standing furiously in the doorway. For a brief second, Katherine seemed baffled and slightly apprehensive to see her ex-best friend in front of her. But that quickly vanished as if it was never there to begin with. But Caroline easily picked up on it. "Caroline Forbes. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

She faked a smile and slowly approached her. "Oh, cut to the chase, Katherine. You're curious to know why I'm here. But I'm curious to know what your reason why you are in the Young residence."

"Patrolling the neighbourhood, resisting the urge to destroy it, on my best behaviour. Blah, blah, blah."

"You know, that's hard to believe. Because the fact that you've blackmailed Alison Young into becoming your little puppet is a big enough reason to confront you about it. But perhaps you were jealous of Matt Donovan's human relationship with Alison when she was still human. Or perhaps your little obsession with Stefan Salvatore has never faded or altered since you laid eyes on him as a human. It has been your greatest weakness."

Katherine's features finally hardened. "I'd stop talking, if I were you."

"But you're not me, so I will continue. What's not to like about him, right? Stefan is a very attractive and sympathetic vampire, the first to the very few that still exist in the world. The one who never loved you enough. But don't you think it's time to move on? He has his own life now. He has a love now much greater then yours ever has been, and _that's_ merely _one_ flaw to your deranged and slightly pathetic obsession with him."

Katherine's eyes were increasingly ablaze with rage and hatred, her hands were balled into tensed fists and her stance said that she was prepared to fight, but her lips remained in a tight, grim line.

"What? No sarcastic or witty comeback? This is indeed a first. Have I struck a nerve, Katerina? Can you hear me now? Because of centuries of silence, I have watched you destroy every life you have touched and even your very own life. Humans are not born to be played with for our own amusement and entertainment. Separately, they have their lives and we have ours. I have told you repeatedly that it is better to live this selfish, battling, hating lifestyle on our own then to share it with others or blame innocent people for it. Stefan and Damon Salvatore paid for the price with that wrongly blissful thought to be with you and to this very day, they have not been the same since the time before you destroyed their lives. They never wanted to be vampires, even if they admitted it differently after a hundred and fifty years of an immortal life. I know I never wanted to be one, let alone did I know that they existed. But I can't change that because of a selfish decision I made nine-hundred years ago."

"You wouldn't know anything about it. But perhaps you do. You know, you never told me who turned you almost a millennium ago. We've been friends ever since I was turned and I've never heard stories about your human life or the life you had before you met me. I knew it was a line I could never cross, but now that we're not friends, why don't you confess who turned you."

"I've learnt not to rely on your debatable negotiations with me, Katherine. How about you tell me what Mason Lockwood is really doing here, and I tell you of my past, and then we call it even?"

"You've already lied to me today. How can I trust your words now?"

"Unlike you, I do not lie or manipulate compulsively or out of anger towards others. But it is up to you if you trust me or not."

She sighed. "What can I say? I needed a werewolf. And since they're hard to come by nowadays, I thought I was pretty damn lucky to have met one a year ago."

"And what did you need one for? There is absolutely no use for a werewolf!" Caroline shouted but then her eyes widening with understanding to Katherine's ultimate plan and genuine reason to have returned to Mystic Falls just as her mind went back to the moment everything changed for Mason Lockwood.

_**Flashback (Emerald Coast, Florida - 2009)**_

The next few nights, the same little game continued to happen. Katherine would lure Mason away from his friends and easily befriended her over a short period of time. On Caroline and Katherine's last night in Florida before 'returning to Seattle to continue their college educations', Katherine decided to finally executed her mysterious plan. While Katherine was finishing up in the bathroom, she said she would meet Mason at his car in the parking lot outside the bar. Caroline followed Mason outside while Jimmy, Mason's best friend, followed them outside to the parking lot behind her. He quickly marched around her and shoves Mason almost off his feet.

"Mason!" Jimmy yells, enraged.

"Hey Jimmy." Mason says, chuckling at his friend's supposedly 'drunkenness'. "Easy, let's get you home."

"Screw you!" Jimmy yells again, enraged while pushing Mason away. "I know about you and Marla."

"What are you talking about?" Mason asked, confusedly.

Jimmy attempts to strangle Mason but he pushes Jimmy off of him before his friend could successfully wrap his hands around Mason's neck.

"Dude! What's up? It's me, Mason! I'm not messing with Marla. You know that!"

Ultimately, Jimmy swings his balled up fist and connects it to Mason's jaw while people in the bar and around the parking lot began to swarm around the two boys, including Caroline, who was yelling at them to stop while no one else trying to prevent this fight from escalating. Maybe because some of them knew what happened when a person with a particular gene can only be pushed so far until they can't control their building anger anymore.

"You don't want to do this, buddy." Mason warned for the last time.

"I'll kill you!" Jimmy yells, tossing Mason onto the pavement ground and kicks him in the stomach until Mason catches his arm and pushes Jimmy away. Then, once Mason was on his two feet again, he picks Jimmy off the ground and throws him onto the ground, Jimmy's head sickeningly hitting the ground with a loud crack. At first, Mason appears to think he is fine, but notices the blood pouring from Jimmy's head.

"Jimmy?" Mason whispers, desperately shaking his body to wake up. "Jimmy!"

Caroline finally walks towards him, comfortingly patting his shoulder before kneeling beside Mason and pressing her fingers to Jimmy's neck to search for a pulse, although Caroline already knew he was dead. "I'm sorry, Mason. But he's dead." Caroline murmured, sadly.

"No! He can't be!" Mason refused to accept the fact that he had just killed his best friend.

"He is, but it's okay. We'll figure this out."

"Mason?" Katherine's voice suddenly submerged from the crowd. "What happened?"

Mason stands up, facing Katherine. "Jimmy attacked me."

"What?" Katherine said, feigning astonishment. "Why?"

"He said that I hit on Marla."

"Why would he think that?" She asked, pulling him into a comforting embrace that he accepted immediately.

"His dead." Mason confesses on the brink of crying. "I killed him."

Caroline stood up from the ground while Katherine's eyes followed from Jimmy's dead body to Caroline's face. An evil and knowing smile spreads across Katherine's lip-glossed lips and Caroline caught onto what she had secretly planned from the beginning of this trip. Katherine's smile faded while she hushed Mason, comfortingly. "Everything's going to be okay." She said as she looked at Caroline and winked.

**live2write123: sorry i didn't upload last night! it was my 18th birthday last night and i went out to dinner with my family and best friend and didn't get back until later! but i really hope you enjoyed this chapter :3. unlike next time, my lovelies :D!**

**ps. eleven pages... just saying :P.**


	10. Chapter Nine

**live2write123: hello everyone! sorry for the delay but i have some bad news :(.this month is going to be even WORSE then the last because of exams and CCTs and prom and graduation so please be patient! once i've graduated high school and summer is out, i'll start up the regular updates again :). but thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted, and any other way that has involved this story. :D i love the notifications that someone has reviewed a new chapter :) it modivates me to write another chapter for you, even though i should probably be doing homework or studying for a test or anything else outside of the Fanfiction world :P.**

**ps. in this chapter, Caroline definitely puts Bonnie in her place in this chapter because i wish somebody had in tv series for the LONGEST time ever! and she also finds an odd and unpredicted friendship and alliance because someone inspired me to do so. that's all i'm saying :).**

**pss. on a rather personal note and not that anyone really cares but i can't believe i'm graduating high school in three weeks, my last high school exams ever are in the same week, my prom is a week from tomorrow and everything is moving way to fast sometimes i wish it all could just slow down for a bit. i can't help but dread another day of school but it's one day less i have to come back. i think it's normal but anyway, enough with my rant :P, please enjoy, review, favourite and alert! :D**

**Chapter Nine: Betrayals and Alliances**

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

_Caroline walked silently beside Niklaus, further into the forest and towards the pond to bathe off the memory of her first near-death-experience as a vampire from last night. She took this comfortably silent moments to let her eyes examine the vampire accompanying her. His physical appearance had not changed. His wavy blonde hair was the same golden blonde, maybe an inch or two longer, but it was entirely restrained back out of his face and tied at the back of his neck. He wore a dark green wool skirt and dark cloth trousers with knee-high leather boots and a long brown three-quarter jacket. His soft features had never changed, the depths of his sea-green were still as hypnotic as ever and his lips were perfectly plump and rosy. She remembered how it felt to be in his strong arms, looking up into his beautiful eyes just before his lips slowly descended to hers._

_"It was a lycanthrope bite." Niklaus confirmed, suddenly breaking the silence between them and causing Caroline to return to reality. "It wasn't just any ordinary wolf bite or attack, Caroline. They were lycanthropes."_

_Caroline's eyebrows creased together. "I have not heard of this species before, nor have I ever encountered them before. What are they?"_

_"Generally speaking, they were humans who could freely roam and transform into their wolf-forms without any restraints. That was until a shaman had placed a curse on them long ago, forcing them to only transform on the night of a full moon."_

_"If you are in earnest, why had they attacked me last night? If they indeed have a human mind, they would have known what they were doing while they were pursuing me."_

_"Lycanthropes are fuelled by anger and bloodshed. Their human forms have no control once they are in transformation to become a wolf and once they are in the full form of their wolf under the full moon. They have a one-tracked mind. When they saw you, they were not going to stop until they had you dead. They kill mercilessly and have no compassion towards their prey."_

_"I saw the way they looked at me. It was not out of the need to kill or to see me dead. There was such hatred in their glowing amber eyes for someone they have never before."_

_"Vampires and lycanthropes have always been enemies. Utter opposites. The village I lived in before I met you and before I was turned into a vampire were all werewolves. My father, Mikael refused to be bullied and belittled by such untrustworthy neighbours, especially after they had killed my youngest brother Henrik during a full moon. That is why my father wanted my witch of a mother to turn us into vampires. To be superior to our enemies, the very same people who we had called our friends. The same people who accepted us into their village and homes with open arms."_

_Caroline took a minute to process this, just as she was about to comfort him on his untold past, she stopped herself. Things were different now. She left him after the inferno, and there was no way she could turn back to him now. Not after everything she had made him endure after she ran from him. The betrayal she had caused was simply unbearable to this very day. "I felt as if I was dying. As if the very life was fading and descending fast, and there wasn't a way I could stop it. I've never felt so... little and human and weak before in my entire new existence. I would hate to admit that I was indeed afraid of what happen to me. I thought I was facing death, after two-hundred years of life."_

_Abruptly, he stopped and faced her, placing his hands on her shoulders to hold her body in place while his eyes were burning into hers. "I would never let that happen. If you were to die, I would have never forgiven myself for such negligence and betrayal." He looked up into her eyes. "Do you understand me? Nothing will ever hurt you again. I promise."_

_Caroline found herself getting lost into his eyes again, as if she was under his compulsion. But then her eyes began to descend down his face until her sight landed on his lips. She didn't have to wait long to see them become closer to hers and she didn't stop him until last minute, side-stepping around him and walking towards their destination. "I-I think I can hear the pond from here. It is not too far. I am most impatient and energized to cleanse off these dreadful memories of last night, Niklaus. Let's continue our journey."_

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline gasped out of her 'supposedly' peaceful sleep, her eyes suddenly opening to an unfamiliar room, her teeth gritting at the memory and drenched in her own sweat. And then her head stung with no recollection of the night before. The sunlight streaming into her foreign bedroom through her curtains, burning her eyes, causing her migraine to escalate. Even as a vampire with enhanced hearing, for the first time in a long time, her ears picked up everything and anything. It was ridiculous. Vampires were the most dangerous killers in the world. They weren't supposed to be weakened by a human migraine.

Gradually sliding out of bed, looking down at her clothes. She had no pants on and was wearing an oversized, _Bon Jovi_ band t-shirt that smelt of Stefan's musky cologne. She didn't know where but somehow found a pair of aviators on the way downstairs, slowly and carefully taking one step at a time while holding onto the railing with one hand and the opposite wall with the other. When she managed to walk rather normally, her squinted eyes took in the familiar view of the Salvatore house. Strutting into the living room, she finds Damon pouring himself a Bourbon and an unfamiliar boy, not a day over sixteen years of age, sitting on one of the couches.

"Hey! If it isn't boozy back from the dead." Damon said, triumphantly.

Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose. "What are you talking about, Damon?" She groaned.

"You don't remember what happened last night?"

"Well, obviously. Or I wouldn't be asking you."

"Stefan and I found you as drunk as a skunk at the grill with a crowd of boozed-up human boys taking jello shots off of you. You're never one to get that drunk, let alone publicly drunk enough to not remember what happened. What threw you off?" He asked, slightly interested and slightly amusing.

She instantly remembered the conversation with Katherine, how figuring out the truth behind her motives tossed Caroline over the edge to the point where she lashed out at Katherine with fists. Hopefully, she didn't cause any damage to the Forbes's residence.

"Drop it, Damon. But I suppose I owe you a thank you for bringing me back here. I never asked you Salvatores to look after me, but you did. So I'm grateful that you found me. I probably would have ended up in a gutter somewhere or in some guy's bed."

Damon wrinkled his nose in disgust and clamped his hands over his ears. "Ew! Gross! Thanks for the visual! And don't get use to it. Stef and I agreed to let you borrow one of the guestroom for the next couple days, since this is suppose to be a boarding house and your visit is suppose to be 'temporary'. But Stefan told me to tell you that if, however, your stay becomes more permanent... Stefan convinced me to let you stay here as long as you want."

"Thanks roomie! I promise to be on my _best_ behaviour. Apart from my late-night booty-calls." She winked, tormenting Damon's mind with more visuals.

He groaned, irritably with revulsion before drinking his Bourbon in one swing. "I regret my decision already."

Caroline laughed, walking around Damon to sit beside the young teenager. "You're cute. Who are you? And what are doing hanging around this drunk?"

"I wouldn't be talking, boozy." He grumbled, pouring himself another drink after another.

"At least I don't drink during the day. Even though we're vampires and it's entirely impossible for us to die from a human illness, I would bet any money that your liver has evaporated by now." Caroline turned to the teenager again while Damon shot daggers at the back of her head. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Jeremy Gilbert." He introduced, in a soft tone. "I'm Elena's cousin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Caroline," she said with a jerk of the head towards Damon, "friends with the drunk."

"Mutual friends. _Mu-tual_ friends!" Damon emphasized.

She rolled her eyes. "Speaking of friends, where is Stefan, anyway?"

"He was gone long before I woke up, so it had to be before sunrise."

"Odd. He's never been this sneaky before. And where is Alison and the sheriff? Please tell me they did not return to their home. Not while Katherine has been invited in and is now out and about, threatening everyone's lives."

"No, Alison's up in Liz's room, waiting for her mom to wake up."

"Good." Caroline gestured between Damon and Jeremy. "I was interrupting something before I came down here, wasn't I?"

"Yes you were, Jeremy was just about to explain about this famous moonstone that Mason Lockwood is currently looking for but little Tyler Lockwood isn't handing that over to his 'beloved' uncle."

"The moonstone?" Caroline echoed, in disbelief, quickly removing the sunglasses from her eyes. She stared up at Damon with wide-eyes as another memory came back to her.

_**Flashback (London, England - 1492)**_

Caroline waited patiently for her little messenger to hand over the daily report to her from the inside of the Mikaelson Manor. The girl was late. Every evening, before Niklaus would return to his chambers after another party had ended, the girl would meet Caroline in the forest to give over the daily report. The sun has set and night has taken over. Lately, she decided to avoid attending their dinner parties, it was a chance slighter to her getting caught and captured by her greatest enemy. She would never see the final death, at least not instantly. He would draw it out painfully and slowly until there was nothing left to torture or torment. At last, she saw a familiar girl, dressed in the same maid dress and apron.

"Ah, Beatrice. I thought you would never arrive." Caroline said.

"Good day, miss."

"You're late." She reminded the girl.

"My greatest apologies, miss. Lord Niklaus returned to his chambers early tonight and requested a drink from me."

And the girl did _not_ imply a glass of water. "What have you discovered today?"

Beatrice pulled out a smooth, pearl white, oval-shaped rock from underneath her apron. "I did not hear much today. But Lord Niklaus was discussing about this with the Lord Elijah. They have not mentioned its value yet."

Caroline studied the rock with her fingers and eyes, examining as if she needed too. As if she knew its value, but not entirely. All she did know that this was Niklaus's most treasured possession and just holding it in her hands made her undead heart race with anticipation and excitement. If she ever planned on fleeing England, this was definitely accompanying on her travels.

Reluctantly, but with a pleased smile on her face, Caroline returned the precious rock to Beatrice. "Thank you Beatrice. Keep your ears open and remain unheard of. I cannot have you killed for my selfish and manipulative reasons. Besides, I still have use of you. And do not be late tomorrow."

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Damon looked at Caroline, quizzically. "You know about the moonstone, Caroline?"

"Of course I do." She said, standing up and beginning to pace the floor. "I've been around for nine-hundred-years. Something this important was bound to show up again."

"Can you say anything about it?"

Caroline stressfully ran her fingers through her hair. "Nothing at the moment. But rest assured, my chances of making this visit more permanent have just become decreasingly slim." She walked towards the staircase to return to her room and get changed.

"Can you at least tell me what set you off last night?" His tedious tone stopped her in her tracks, causing her to turn around.

"Let's just say Katherine got under my skin." She said with a sad smile. "But we both know how that affects us and our well-being, don't we?"

He rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement. "You and me both, honey."

She quickly ran upstairs, into the guestroom she slept in and got changed into whatever she could find in her suitcase that Stefan and Damon must have brought here from her motel room. Caroline managed to pull on a pair of beige, khaki cargo capris and a black t-shirt before she skipped downstairs and rejoined the boys. Shortly after she sat down beside Jeremy again, the door opened with Alaric walking inside, carrying a massive box in his arms.

"Ric!" Damon exclaimed.

But Alaric didn't acknowledge him, his eyes were glued on Jeremy. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping Damon. I'm the one who found out about the moonstone." Jeremy explained, defensively.

He looks at Damon, who rolls his eyes, before returning his stare at the young Gilbert boy. "Does Elena know you're here?"

"Not exactly." He said, hesitantly.

"What'd you get?" Damon asked while walking towards the box, that Alaric placed down on the couch, and began looking through it.

"This is Isobel's research from Duke. Her assistant sent it to me."

"Mmm Vanessa," Damon said, reminiscing his road trip to Duke. "The hottie."

"Vanessa, yes. Now, do you remember the old Aztec curse she told us about?"

"Sun and the moon, blah, blah, blah." He muttered, uninterestedly.

"An Aztec curse? Cool." Jeremy piped in, contrasting towards Damon's reaction.

"Yeah, supposedly vampires and werewolves use to run freely until-"

"Until a shaman put a curse on them, limiting their powers, and forcing werewolves to restrictedly turn on a full moon and vampires are weakened by the sun." Caroline finished for Alaric, as if it was memorized on the back of her hand.

"How did you know that?" Jeremy asked her when everyone's eyes fell on her.

"I've been around for nine-hundred-years, sweetie." She said, examining her nail beds. "Of course I know the source to how my bloodline and my enemy's bloodline are limited to their true powers."

"Most of them, anyway." Damon said, proudly waving his fingers as he walked away.

"According to the legend," Alaric began again as he handed Jeremy an old parchment, "the werewolf part of the curse is sealed with the moonstone."

"What do you mean 'sealed'?" Jeremy wondered, curiously.

"It's a witch thing." Damon mentioned, standing by the fireplace with his second or third drink in his hand. "Whatever seals the curse is usually the key to unsealing the curse."

"Maybe Mason Lockwood believes he can use the moonstone to break the curse." Alaric said.

"If we start believing in some supernatural, witchy legend from a picture book, we're idiots." Damon muttered.

"No, you're all idiots if you _don't _believe in the curse. It is real. Very real, I'm afraid." Caroline said.

Damon crossed his arms. "If so, where is the stone now?"

"Tyler has it." Jeremy answered.

"Can you get it?" Damon asked.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"You see, now your life has a purpose." Damon said, mockingly.

"So you do believe it?" Jeremy asked, ignoring Damon's insult.

"This is the same book that says the werewolf bite kills a vampire. Ignoring it would make me an even bigger idiot." Damon said, walking towards them and finishing off his drink. "Let's go."

Suddenly, Caroline's migraine seemed to be the least of her worries now.

Caroline decided to go solo on this mission while the three boys continued their investigation. Jeremy was off to find Tyler somewhere to fetch the moonstone while Alaric went to his apartment to look through the box of Isobel's research by himself. Before she could leave, Damon made it impossible for her to go on alone. At the Lockwood's, there was a charity being held for an upcoming masquerade party and once again, everyone was decorating for the event.

"You know, you really didn't have to follow me here. I never thought I'd see Damon Salvatore at another charity event." Caroline mocked.

"Oh come on, I'm a generous and supportive citizen of Mystic Falls. I'm always there to lend a helping hand. And besides, I haven't seen Stefan all morning and I'm wondering where the blazes he ended up by now."

"Aw, older brother is looking out for his younger brother. How sweet. That's another thing I never thought I'd see."

"Shut up and let's get serious, shall we?"

"Absolutely., big bro."

The Lockwood family has always been known for their vast lands, but not as much as their ancestors did back in 1864. Nevertheless as always everyone was helping out, setting up large white tents with plenty of candles, colourful hanging lanterns and drapes. But something caused Caroline to stop walking, she heard a conversation in the distance with Stefan's voice and Elena's witch friend.

_"When I touched him, I saw something."_ The girl's serious and grave voice said.

_"What do you mean? Like a vision?"_ Stefan asked, confused.

_"I saw Elena."_

In that instant, Caroline found Stefan and rushed over to them before they found out it wasn't Elena the girl saw. Stefan's eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment. "What are you doing here, Care?"

"I can explain. It wasn't Elena that she saw."

"I should hope so." The witch said. "Mason was kissing Elena in my vision."

Stefan shook his head. "No, Bonnie. Elena wouldn't kiss-"

"You didn't see Elena. You saw Katherine." Caroline admitted.

Abruptly, Damon rejoined their group. "Did someone say the 'K' word?"

Bonnie dismisses herself when Caroline began to tell the Salvatore brothers how she and Katherine met Mason a year ago and how obsessed he felt towards her. Although, Katherine was playing along with him, she knew how Mason truly felt about her but she didn't return the same feelings towards him.

"Of course she's involved with Mason. She always finds a way to get around." Damon sneered.

"He arrived into town right after she did. It makes perfect sense." Stefan said.

"I'm sorry I never told you the entire truth. I'm still wondering why Mason came to town right after me and Katherine did. She never told me why she had to meet Mason Lockwood in Florida and now she never will tell me why he's here." Caroline explained.

Across the yard was Jeremy and Tyler Lockwood talking about the moonstone and how Jeremy wanted to look at it again after 'a little research' about it on the internet. But as it turns out and regrettably, Tyler had already handed it over to Mason already because Tyler wants nothing to do with the legends and curses, but for good reason. Damon and Stefan looked at each other a stormed off simultaneously, leaving Caroline alone.

_"You know, eventually, you're going to have to talk to her."___Elena said, capturing Caroline's attention again.

_"Could you make it a little less obvious that you're on her side?"_ The little witch snapped.

_"There are no sides, Bonnie."_

_"Come on! Since Alison became a vampire, we barely seen each other. Losing Alison was bad enough, I didn't think I'd lose you too."_

Suddenly, Caroline approached the two girls arguing. "Hey Elena." She said, sweetly.

"Caroline. How are you?"

She shrugged. "You know, charity volunteering. But I'm good, thank you." Caroline turns to the reserved and hesitant witch. "You haven't introduced me to your friend."

"Oh, this is Bonnie Bennett."

Caroline offered the witch her hand. "How do you do? My name's Caroline Forbes."

Bonnie eyes the outstretched hand and gradually shakes it, but quickly removes her hand from the vampire's grasp once she found out what Caroline is. "You're a-" Bonnie began.

"A vampire, yes. A very old vampire. Shocking, I know. Especially in this town, right?" She said, sarcastically. "Now, I know we just met but I feel that I have every right to say this to you. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation just now with Miss Elena Gilbert. You were talking about Alison Young, were you not?"

Bonnie nodded, slowly and cautiously.

"And you haven't talked to her since her transformation into a vampire?"

"No, I haven't."

"Why is that?"

"Because she's a vampire. And she was my one of my best friends."

"But she's still here, isn't she? Indeed she is a dead, immortal, bloodthirsty monster but I thought friendship would conquer all. You never lost her. You have no _idea_ how it is to lose someone completely."

"My Grams died because of vampires. Stefan and Damon Salvatore wanted the tomb to be open for Katherine and my Grams did everything she could to break the seal, but died because of over-exertion."

"Then perhaps you do know what it feels like to lose someone close to you. But Bonnie, Alison needed you now more then ever. Tell me, was she there for you when your grandmother, Sheila Bennett, passed away? I bet she was because that's what friends are suppose to do. To be there for each other no matter what the circumstances are. Alison went through her transition alone because _you_ selfishly couldn't stand the sight of _your _friend being _forced_ to become a monster, your greatest enemy. I should know, I have been a monster for over nine-hundred-years. She was turned against her will and without her consent, she had no idea what was happening to her. Katherine killed her to send a message to the rest of you for her arrival. Alison's life was thrown away over nothing and now, she can never get that back. Now, she can either look forward and move on or shrivel up and mummify because she had no one to turn to when her only life was taken away from her. Do you not feel any pity for her? Yes, their are tragedies and obstacles in everyone's life that will be thrown our way but this tragedy and obstacle is entirely different. Being forced to become a vampire, especially for someone else's gain, is impossible to defeat. At least not entirely. You would not know _that _tragedy indeed because you are a witch. A witch can never experience blood thirst or the need to kill or the hatred and judgement from others around us. Because all us monsters want more then anything, is to be normal and accepted. For those who were not forced, made the decision to become a vampire for a convincing reason at the time but after centuries of lifetimes, we learn to regret our decision because now we are surrounded by isolation and rejection. I know I have had my fair share of the matter."

As to be expected, the two girls were rendered speechless. Caroline sighed and continued her rant. "Look, it will take time to accept Alison's new lifestyle, but you must accept her because of her circumstances. She has not changed. She is still the same person you were best friends with. I have come across humans who deliberately are in search for a vampire's attention, trading and offering their delicious blood in order to be turned into a vampire. But Alison was turned out of Katherine's personal boredom. Last I checked, weren't _you_ were the one who urged and begged Damon Salvatore to give Alison his blood in-order to heal her wounds? Elena was the one to object, but you were the one who sealed the deal. My dear, do not put this blame on yourself. But think of this conversation and everything else that I have told you just now before you selfishly criticize and judge and reject your friend who had no control, whatsoever, over the situation."

Caroline felt absolutely winded and exhausted after her lecture to the witch. Hopefully, Bonnie Bennett learned a valuable lesson and now will think twice before judging Caroline's kind. She was slightly irritated and needed to blow off some steam. She decided to run to the hospital for fresh blood bags from a very recent blood donation. As if her anger and frustration slipped away the moment the blood touched her taste buds and slid down her throat. It was almost as if she had killed someone for their fresh blood, but luckily she didn't and there was no room for her to feel guilty about it. On the way back to the Lockwood's, Caroline received vibration from her cell phone.

_Hey. Meet me at the house. I've got some not-so-pleasant torturing to do and I need some back-up ASAP who isn't afraid to get a little messy. - Damon_

She quickly changed her route to the Salvatore's house and the minute she walked inside, she didn't need to see what was happening. She could hear it. Damon was chaining up an unconscious Mason to a chair in front of the fireplace, Bonnie was quickly exiting the house before she could see or hear Mason's howling of pain from the inflicted torture, only to be stopped by Alison, who had ran downstairs from her mother's guestroom at the sound of all the hullabaloo happening in the house.

"Hey!" Alison said, cheerfully.

"Hi." Bonnie answered, slowly. "How's your mom? Elena filled me in on everything."

"I'm gonna take her home tonight."

The witch nodded. "I've got to go."

"Did you find the moonstone thing?" Alison tried to strike up a conversation again.

"Not yet. Do you remember that old well where we use to play when we were kids?"

Alison smiles at the precious memory. "Yeah. It's on the edge of the old Lockwood property. Why?"

Bonnie takes out her phone and begins to send someone a text message, most likely Stefan or Elena. "I think that's where Mason is keeping the moonstone. I got to go."

"Well, I can come with you." Alison volunteered, eagerly.

"No, it's okay." Bonnie says, quickly denying her friend's help. But then she sees Alison's disappointment. Her eyes shift to Caroline, who stood hidden around the corner behind Alison, giving the witch an encouragingly sympathetic smile and nod before Bonnie returned her stare to Alison. "Sure."

Alison beamed with joy and followed Bonnie outside. "Okay."

When the girls were gone, Caroline continued her journey to the living room where she found Mason definitely tied to a chair, but was conscious and the chair had fallen backwards and now Damon had slowly stabbed a hot iron rod into the werewolf's chest, causing him to scream in pain.

"I must admit," Caroline announced, "that this is the most deserved inquiring I have ever taken participation in. Well done, Mr. Salvatore." She curtsied.

"I'm glad you could make it, Miss Forbes. It wouldn't be the same without you." Damon bowed before removing the rod from Mason's chest. "You can hurt, that's good to know. I was afraid that you'd be some beast master with no affinity for pain."

"Ah, you are mistaken. Look again." Caroline said.

Damon looked at Mason's wound, which was already healing. "Damn, you heal quickly. Not good. I guess I'll just have to keep applying the pain."

Caroline yanks the chair upwards back onto its four legs while Damon walks to the fireplace to heat up the iron bar again. "So... Katherine. What is she up to?" He asked, over his shoulder.

Mason looked away, refusing to answer, only pants away his previous stab.

"I'd answer to him if I were you." Caroline whispered in his ear.

"Rest assured, Caroline." Damon says, walking to Mason again. "We have all day." He stabs the bar into Mason again.

Somewhere far away, Caroline could feel it in her bones and everything within her very being that something was wrong. She looked at Damon's triumphant face with fear and shock. "What's up?" He asked, confusedly.

"Something's not right. The moonstone's in the old Lockwood well right?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Something's not right." Caroline repeated, frantically. "I have to go. I'll be back. And do _not_ have _too_ much fun without me." She winked at him before disappearing.

"I'll try not too."

Under five minutes, Caroline ran from the Salvatore's house, through the deep forest and to the well on the old Lockwood property where Elena was trying to pick up the thick chains off the ground, but to no avail. "What's going on here?" Caroline asked.

"Stefan's down there to get the moonstone but the chains are too heavy for me." Elena explained.

Alison suddenly arrives to Elena's side. "I heard your screaming and I came as fast as I could."

"We have to get him out." Elena said.

Alison, trying to be the hero, climbs over the well's walls but only to be stopped by her friend. "No, no, no! You can't go down there! It's full of vervain." Elena warned.

"I will go." Caroline announced.

"Neither can you." Alison declined.

"Yes, I can. And I will. My body has been accustomed to vervain. It barely burns me. Every week, I use to put it in my drinks and meals for centuries. It will not harm me as much as Stefan, but it's not exactly the most pleasant sensation overall." Caroline explained rapidly before turning to the redhead. "Alison, can you pull me up by these chains when I have Stefan tied to it?"

She nodded. "Of course."

Caroline stood up on the edge of the wall, took a step and descended into the dark depths of the small well. She found Stefan's unconscious body floating with badly burnt marks all over his skin. She quickly fastened him to the chain, commanding Alison to pull him up. Caroline began to search for the stone until she found a little brown box, and then telling Alison to pull her up too. When Caroline was out of the well, Bonnie was there and her skin almost healed instantly from the burns, but Stefan was still weak from the vervain. Elena bravely cuts her hand on a sharp rock to feed to Stefan, to regain his strength and to heal his wounds, leaving Caroline utterly shocked how much this doppelganger girl could look exactly like Katherine, but was absolutely nothing like her.

"What's Katherine doing in Mystic Falls?" Damon asked Mason for what felt like the billionth time, but ended up with the same results. Caroline had returned to the inquisition, but sat in the corner of the living room while drinking a blood bag. She had caught Damon up on the events that happened and explained that Elena and had taken healing Stefan back to her house with Bonnie and Alison.

When Mason didn't respond again, Caroline stepped in. "All right, clearly this whole stabbing him with a iron rod isn't working. Ready for some more... drastic methods to get him talking?"

"I'm listening." He said, tossing aside the iron bar.

She took out a plastic bag of an herb. "It's from my hunting collection. There's been many myths about it and it's never been proven or confirmed by anyone. But I know it works. It's called wolfsbane, and in other words, vervain for werewolves. Extremely toxic, but completely harmless to vampires."

Damon took the herb from her hand and waved it closely to Mason's face. "Why is she here?"

Silence. Damon grazed it across Mason's cheek, as it begins to burn and smoke and his face contorts into another expression of pain.

"Did she seduce you and tell you that she loved you? You're supernatural, so you can't be compelled. I'm sure she used her other charms. Katherine's good that way."

"Just answer the question, Mason." Caroline demanded.

"She's here with me! Why you asking? You jealous?" He yelled at Damon.

"How rude of me. I just realized I didn't offer you anything to eat."

Damon shoves the herb into Mason's mouth, burning his lips and gums as he tried to spat out the poisonous herb but it just turns into coughing and bubbling noises. "I told you what would happen if you stuck around Katherine for a long period of time. You would end up dead because of her. So why don't you be a good little wolf and end your suffering?" Caroline asked, innocently.

He ignored her again as his lips and mouth were already beginning to heal.

"I'd take her advice." Damon grabbed another strand of wolfsbane. "Why do you want the moonstone?"

"Screw you!" Mason yelled, barely recovering from the wolfsbane.

"Wrong answer." Caroline muttered.

"I'll be taking out your eyes now." Damon threatened, waving the strand over his eyes.

"I'm getting it for Katherine! She said she was gonna use it to lift the curse."

"Now, why would a vampire help a werewolf break a curse that keeps them from turning whenever they want. Legend has it that a werewolf's bite is fatal to a vampire."

"She said she would do it so I wouldn't have to turn anymore."

"And why would she do that?"

"Because she loves me!"

"Now I get it. You're just stupid. Katherine doesn't love you, she's using you, you moron!" Damon shouted and Caroline felt his emotion because he knew how it felt to be used by Katherine Pierce. "You know, I look at you and I see myself, less dashing, less intelligent version."

"I love her." Mason whispered, hopelessly.

"Oh, I know! I've been where you are." Damon said, approaching Mason again. "But Katherine will only rip out your heart out. Let me do it for her." He plunges his hand deep into Mason's chest and grips around his heart.

"I hope you can find peace in the afterlife, Mason. This world and life was too cruel for you to exist in it any longer." Caroline said just before Damon ripped his heart out and Mason's body falls limp in the chair.

After Damon removed his hand from Mason's chest, he looked at Caroline who was staring at him with no emotion on her face or in her eyes. "Don't tell me you're getting soft on me." He said.

"I do not pity him. Mason was bound to be killed in a town full of vampires, regardless of his one-sided love affair with Katherine. No, my pity and concern are not for him."

"Then, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because, Damon, just now I have witnessed your pain. I know Katherine's rejection will always be your downfall for as long as you exist in this world because you were exactly like Mason. You loved her with such blindness, hopelessly and devotedly, and this is how it treated innocent Mason in the end. I fear that this would have been your fate if you had continued to love her with such commitment."

"What are you getting at, Caroline? I'd rather not be compared to this blind moron. And I definitely do not want to talk about the past."

"I suppose I'm saying that Katherine never deserved you, nor did she ever deserve my friendship. We have at least that in common. We have both been burned, used and thrown away by the hands of Katherine. And that is why I want to fight with you, rather than against you because I cannot leave this town knowing that Katherine will play with everyone, pulling the strings like helpless puppets. And I also refuse to loyally remain by her side while she destroys everyone and everything in this town."

"If what you say is true, you'll have to prove it me."

"Of course. I wouldn't think of any other way."

"I'll call Stefan to help me finish off the job. You're off the hook for the day."

Caroline smiled and nodded, turning to leave the living room until Damon's voice stopped her. "And Caroline?"

She turned around. "Yes?"

"Thanks for your help today and not just today, but also recently..." he winked at her and for the first time with a genuine smile, "old friend."


	11. Chapter Ten

**live2write123: hey there readers! :D i'm just warning you, this isn't the longest chapter i've ever done. a line or two over six pages. BUT alas friends! i've decided to do a DOUBLE update for you because of how supportive you've all been over this story :'). that's why it's been taking me so long to update :P. personally, i'm glad you all have been soo incredibly patient for Klaus's FIRST appearance in the present time. but he will be there before the fifteenth chapter :). i promise :D.**

**ps. this chapter is basically a filler chapter that happened in the rest of Plan B. i couldn't find many other scenes that i could fit Caroline in because the previous chapter to this story was mostly covered by the first half and middle of Plan B, which is another reason why i'm doing a double update :D.**

**pss. warning, there are flashbacks in this chapter but it happened in the same time, same day, et cetera... other then that, thanks for the reviews, favourites, alerts and reading this story :). you're all the best readers ever! please enjoy, review, favourite and alert! :D**

**Chapter Ten: The Game Changer**

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

"Thank you for waiting for me, Niklaus. I have not enjoyed nor treated myself in a very long time." Caroline said as she stepped out of the shallow water. Niklaus had stood behind a tree, leaning against it and facing the opposite direction to give her respectful privacy and space. He had not spoken a word since she stepped away from his descending lips, much to Caroline's expectations. She had refused him. Once again. "I ask for you to remain the way you are. I need to thoroughly wash my dress before I put it back on."

"Nonsense, Caroline. We would be here all night." He said over his shoulder. "Your blood has stained your dress and it is impossible to remove those stains. But alas, we will purchase a new dress tomorrow morning in the marketplace."

"But Niklaus, I must return to my human village before sunset. They must believe I'm dead after the night. I escaped to the woods last night, to confirm the rumours of these unusual wolves who only appear on the night of a full moon. But I would have never gone into the woods if I knew the rumours were true, let alone if I was to endanger my life in the process."

"I saved you from an attack, explained who and what attacked you, and yet you still try to leave me?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"Forgive me, but when I left our village, I did not expect to come across you again. At least not for a very long time. I never imagined you would ever want to see me again."

Everything went silent. Suddenly, Caroline could hear his boots stepping slowly against the earth and closer to her. Luckily, her back was turned towards him as she remained frozen knelt to the ground, scrubbing her dress in the water in between two jagged rocks. Instinctively, her hands and arms flew to her chest while he bent down behind her and covered her shoulders with his brown jacket. She pulled the two open flaps to his jacket closer to her body as she rose to her feet and turned around.

"You must stay with me, Caroline." Niklaus begged. "You owe me that much. Please."

Caroline nervously bit her lip before slowly nodding. "Yes. I will stay the night. But that is all."

He smiled. "Excellent. There is still so much I need to tell you. And then, if you refuse me, I will disappear forever."

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline looked down at the wrapped-up body of Mason Lockwood before Stefan and Damon tossed it into the lake of Steven's Quarry. It would take a day or two for it to sink to the bottom, but now Caroline knew what she had to do next. To prevent Tyler Lockwood from experiencing this curse because of two things. One, the boy didn't deserve to suffer the same fate as Mason did. And two, because that is what Katherine wants. For Tyler to become a werewolf. It was understandable why she would, but for what reason, Caroline has yet to discover.

When the trio returned to the Salvatore's, Caroline found Alison crying in the kitchen, washing dishes. "What's wrong, Alison?" Caroline asked, genuinely concerned.

The girl sniffed back her tears. "Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?"

"I know your crying. There's no need to hide your already-fallen tears."

She turned around and threw her arms around Caroline. "I did it." The girl whispered.

"What do you mean? You did what?" Caroline said, returning the embrace and rubbing her back, soothingly.

"I compelled my mom to forget everything she's seen, even after she promised not to tell anyone about me or Stefan or Damon. I told her she was out of work because of the flu and I told her that everything is still the same routine. I would ignore her on a daily basis and I would be so ungrateful to have her as a mom. I just took her home and everyone was gone so I thought I should start cleaning the dishes I used to make her breakfast this morning."

Caroline shushed. "It's okay. It's all going to be okay, Alison. I promise, we will get through this. You've done something more selfless then anyone could ever accomplish. I'm proud of you, Alison."

The girl stepped out of Caroline's arms and wiped her tears. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Because you were a victim in Katherine's plot. And I know what it feels like to be a victim. Maybe I see myself in you. Or maybe you deserve to be a lot better then you have been treated lately. Or maybe I feel guilty that you were turned. If I had stopped Katherine from coming here, you would still be human."

"It's all right. For a long time, I've always wanted to experience something completely opposite to my boring, ordinary human life. But now all I can say is that I should have been careful for what I wished for."

Caroline nodded her head. "Been there, done that."

After their fit of laughter, Alison says, "I think I'm gonna head home. My mom's going to start wondering where I am."

"Of course. Here," Caroline started writing down a phone number on a piece of paper, "if Katherine starts causing more trouble in your life then she already has, call me. Or if you just need someone to talk to, don't be a stranger, okay?"

Alison took the phone number and smiled. "Thank you. For everything."

"It's the least I could do."

Caroline walked Alison to the door, giving her on last hug before returning to the living room where Damon and Stefan were.

"Carol, big opportunity in Florida. I'm gonna be gone for a long time. Will send for my things once I get settled. Much love, Mason." Damon said out loud as he texted the 'Mayor' from Mason's phone.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, last number dialled. I wonder who that can possibly be?" Damon asked, mockingly.

"No, no, no! Don't provoke her!" He tried to stop his brother, who already had the phone to his ear.

"Mason," Katherine's even voice came from the other line, "you should have been here an hour ago."

"Wrong boy toy." Damon said, triumphantly.

"Damon. For once you surprised me. I assume Mason is with you?"

"He was right beside me, although his heart is across the room."

That silenced Katherine for a minute or two. "You shouldn't have."

"I've had a very busy day today. I killed a werewolf, found the moonstone. Hey, did you know that he hid the moonstone at the bottom of a well full of vervain? I guess he didn't trust you very much, but he did love you. Poor guy." He said, mockingly

"You have no idea what you've just done." Katherine muttered, threateningly.

"Aww, did I put a kink in your mast plan? I'm so sorry." Damon pouted.

"Do you honestly believe I don't have a plan B? And if that falls, a plan C, then a plan D and... well, you know how the alphabet works, don't you? Send my love to Stefan." Katherine says, convincingly before hanging up the phone.

Damon stares at Stefan with no humour or victory in his eyes, he just stares at his brother who frantically runs his fingers through his hair and Caroline stood at the doorway, shaking her head, disapprovingly. Now, their hands were tied. And now, they had to wait for Katherine to strike back, which could be on anyone at any time.

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

Caroline sat beside Niklaus under a willow tree after buttoning his jacket up to her throat and tying the belt from her dress around her waist. He explained everything to her. About his mother's affair, how his stepfather despised him because of the unfaithfulness from his mother, how he blamed himself for the death of his youngest and dearest brother Henrik, how his mother placed a curse on him which led him to retaliate against her, how his stepfather and the rest of his siblings fled their village after a final war had broken out between his lycanthrope neighbours and his vampire family, how Caroline's village was built almost sixty decades on top of his after he burnt it down.

"And what of Elijah and Rebekah? How are they nowadays?" Caroline asked.

"We have all gone our separate ways. But I'm sure I will see them again. We have an eternity to live for."

She looked up at the sky, surprised how fast the day had flown by. Caroline stood up, brushing strands of grass and specs of dirt off his jacket. "We should return to your hut. After last night, the unknown darkness scares me to the core."

"I meant what I said, Caroline." He stood up and looked her in the eyes. "I will always protect you. But I agree. We shall now be on our way."

Caroline hastily walked away, certain he would follow and before she would get caught up in the moment again. She avoided his eyes and refused to keep silence between them for very long. She could not kiss him, no matter how much her body and lips burned for it. No matter how much she had dreamt to simply spend one more day with him would be enough. She could not let herself be selfish and greedy to want more then what she could receive. It wasn't an option.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

As it turned out, Jenna Sommers, Elena's aunt and guardian, was Katherine's next target. The young woman was compelled to stab herself in the stomach and was rushed to the hospital by Alaric and Elena. Caroline had never seen Damon so frantic and urgent to get to the hospital, most likely the reason because he knew it was entirely his fault. When Jenna woke up from her luckily minor stitches, Elena went to the Salvatore house to talk with Stefan alone. Hidden at the doorway, Damon stood beside Caroline to listen to their conversation.

"I'm so sorry." Stefan whispered.

"We were stupid," Elena said already in tears. "Sneaking around, thinking that we weren't gonna get caught."

He nodded. ashamedly. "I know."

"We did this, Stefan. Jenna's in the hospital and Jeremy could be next all because we didn't listen to her because we're together."

"I know what you're going to say next." Stefan responded, quickly.

She stepped towards him and cupped his face in between both of her hands. "Then let me say it. I've been so selfish because I love you so much. And I know how much you love me. But it's over, Stefan. It has to be."

Stefan looked down and shook his head, trying to hide the tears that have already fallen. "Elena, I can't-"

"No, Stefan. It has to be." She turns away to walk, but returns to his side and kisses him before quickly leaving his side. Somewhere during this conversation, Damon left to pour himself twenty or more Bourbons in the living room, only to stop Elena from the exiting the house.

"Elena." Damon announced, stopping her dead in her tracks. "I riled Katherine up. I-I wasn't thinking. I didn't think!"

"It doesn't matter, Damon." Elena said through her tears. "She won. Katherine won."

For the first time that Caroline had seen Damon, he was left speechless and powerless to try and stop her as they watched Elena leave the house with a loud thud. He slowly turned around to see Caroline's fists clenched at her sides and her fangs barred with unfathomable rage.

"Katherine will _never _win. As long as I still exist to this world, Katherine will never truly be victorious. She. Will. Pay." Caroline emphasized before she stomped away upstairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her. She picked up the empty glass beside her bed and threw it against the wall, it shattering into a million pieces. This just became unquestionably personal.

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

By the time the pair returned to the hut, darkness had taken over the sky and if she were still human, Caroline wouldn't be able see where her feet were stepping. Immediately, Niklaus started a fire in the pit in the corner of his hut, lightening up the room instantly. With Caroline's permission, he tossed her stained dress into the pit and watched it burn while Caroline sat nervously on the edge of his bed, keeping her eyes on her lap with her hands at the hem of his jacket, tugging it downwards and towards her knees. She didn't have to look up to know he was approaching her, she could hear his feet shuffling against the floorboards.

He removed his shirt before opening up a wooden chest filled with clothes, pulling out a white linen, long-sleeved shirt and tossing to the ground in front of her. "I sleep with nothing but my undergarments, but I don't have any women sleepwear in here for you to loan."

She quickly picked up the shirt before returning to her seat and avoiding his eyes. "No, this will do. Thank you."

"Caroline..." He called her name out, softly.

Caroline cringed at the way he said her name. It was a compassionate and gentle tone. Barely a whisper. "I will get changed outside." She announced, hastily standing up and quickly walking to the door just to be stopped by Niklaus, who sidestepped into her way and now stood in front of her. Her widened eyes landed on his bare, muscular chest, resisting the urge to touch him.

"Caroline, look at me." Niklaus gently demanded.

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "I cannot."

"Why not?"

"Because you are too close to me. I cannot think clearly when you are this close to me."

"Do you wish for me to leave?"

"No. I never want you to leave. That is the problem. I will not let you leave me, they way I have left you."

"What do you mean?"

"I would have deserved it, Niklaus. To die last night. I would have deserved a painful death. I had betrayed you by running away from our village. I should not be given your protection or concern about my well-being. It's not fair for you to exist that way. Not after everything I have done to you. The pain and regret I experienced after I had fled. I am tormented by my decision to leave you every night and every morning. But I was afraid. I did not know how to live without my family. They were killed in the middle of an attack for no reason, and I lived because of my selfish decision to live with you forever. I knew I could not forgive myself. I refused to live this life by your side because that's all I ever wanted. I am to be punished for this blissful and grateful but tormented and incomplete life of immortality, let alone to be given the privilege to be by your side. I cannot request for such a perfect life with you. You have given me everything I could wish for, and yet I betrayed you and ran away because of my fears, insecurities and uncertainties."

"Caroline, I will not let you carry this burden alone." He forced her to look him by cupping her chin and tilting her head up. "I wanted you to become a vampire, and I did so by placing blissful and fanciful thoughts into your head of this glory life of immortality. But you had to face everything on your own, making the final decision to leave your human family to perish in the inferno alone in order to be with me and live forever by my side. I did not want to live another day without you, let alone watch you age into an old woman, become engaged to another and have his children. I selfishly wanted you all to my own. I even considered taking you against your free-will if you had feared me instead after you learnt the truth. I could live without you, Caroline. I refused to relive the life I had before I met you. I could not."

Before she could pull away from his grasp, his lips crashed into hers. She struggled against him, punching his chest away from hers but he encircled his one arm around her waist while his other hand was tangled into her hair. It didn't take her long to find her body responding to him, pulling her into him instead of pushing him away. Her hands urgently tugged on his hair and her lips reacted just as passionate. He stepped back to look into her eyes before slowly unbuttoning the jacket and sliding it off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. He scooped her naked body up into his arms and carried her to the bed, his eyes never leaving hers as he slowly lowered on top of the furred animal pelts.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**live2write123: hello again! this is the second updated chapter because the last one was barely six pages and this one is just over nine, but i felt it would be too long and too confusing if i combined them so their separate chapters :). thank you for all the reviews, alerts, favourites, and reading this story! i love you all for it whenever i see a new notification, makes me wanna go hunt down Klaus- i mean, Joseph Morgan- i mean all of the above. best readers ever! keep it up please and i'll continue posting :D.**

**ps. this chapter covers the Masquerade chapter and it starts off/finishes off with both flashbacks, wrapping up our Paris, France 1273 times. i'll be adding in a new era of flashbacks soon. probably in the next two chapters, before or after Klaus makes a present appearance... who knows? (i do! but you don't! * cue evil laughing *).**

**pss. i didn't edit this chapter or the last chapter because i couldn't wait to post it. soo please ignore the grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes :), and since i can't change the chapters once they're posted, i'll have to bite my tongue and bear with all the possible mistakes in these two new chapters but please review, alert, favourite, and enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Eleven: Last Person Standing**

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

_Caroline had awakened to the partially darkened hut, physically exhausted as if she was paralysed to move. She sighed, contently and stretched her arms above her head. Her bones ached and then she remembered why, her cheeks reddening at the thought of what occurred merely a few hours previous to now. She had committed and performed a new level of intimacy when two bodies are joined to one. And even as a human, Caroline never imagined her first time at intercourse would be anyone else then Niklaus. Raising the subject. she found the room had been lightened by various small candles everywhere. Caroline couldn't miss the sensation and proximity of Niklaus's presence laying beside her. She slowly turned her head to her right, looking up at Niklaus's still-unclothed body laying on his side, his elbow propped up for his hand to hold up his head. He was smiling pleasantly at her, causing her to feel embarrassed and withdrawn at the act that they had accomplished together. "Boo." He whispered, teasingly._

_"Hi." She murmured, tiredly._

_Niklaus eyed her body, which was just as uncovered as his apart from the animal pelt that covered most of her body, before kissing her bare shoulder. "Did I hurt you?" _

_"No, even if you had, I would have healed in time."_

_"You're wrong, my sweet Caroline. After what we achieved tonight, I want you to be as satisfied and comfortable as I am."_

_She nodded, bashfully. "My current condition is safe and sound. You were exceedingly gentle and patient, Niklaus."_

_"And you appeared to be very and surprisingly experienced in that department. Tell me, Caroline, and tell me only the truth. Have you ever completed sexual intercourse before?" He asked, almost demanding voice._

_"No, Niklaus. You were my first lover. I could never envision any other man suited for the task other than you." She admitted, embarrassedly._

_He smiled, delighted to hear he was to be the one to take her pure celibacy. "I am glad to hear those words, Caroline. But I was shocked. For a celibate vampire to exist in the world are hard to come by nowadays. And to think that you had waited for me all these years, it makes me fall even more in love with you."_

_"Please end these lovely endearments, Niklaus, as much as my ears adore to hear them from you. I fear that my inactive and undead heart will suddenly beat erratically out of my chest."_

_"I have waited for you for two-hundred-years, my sweet. Do not recoil away from the truth that I speak now, okay? Do not be afraid of me, my darling. I will always be there for you as long as you remain by my side. I cannot change the past and what I have done to your human life. All I can and want to do is look forward. Please tell me that you love me. I need to hear you say it."_

_"I love you."_

_"Promise me that you will never leave me. I need you by my side."_

_"I will never leave you."_

_He leaned over her body and gently kissed her lips, cupping her face as if it was a lifeline he needed to hold onto to. As if he dared to let go, she slip through in between his fingertips like water._

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Earlier then she hoped, Caroline woke up before the sun could ever reach the horizon. The sky was just as dark of the night sky, but it was one of the worst sleeps she had ever experience. It was one of those petty, human slumbers where they would wake up every other hour until they would give up on falling back to sleep altogether so they decide to remain awake, only to regret their decision later in the day. But Caroline knew she could sleep for three to four hours a night and still be energized enough to last throughout the day. Thanks to the many paranoid nights spent wide awake, terrified that _he _would find her in her sleep and drag her to some unknown underground cellar to torture her until death.

Caroline stepped out of her bed, wiping her face. She stood up, tugging down the hem of her oversized t-shirt before walking outside. Damon and Stefan were still fast asleep in their beds, which is why she tiptoed to the kitchen. She wasn't fond of how deadly quiet and empty and lifeless the house felt by herself as she looked through the fridge until she found a pitcher of blood.

"Morning." A groggy voice suddenly said to her left, causing her to jump back in utterly startled. She was very surprised to see Stefan, leaning in the kitchen doorway with his mug. He wore a tight white wife-beater and bag grey track pants. His hair, which was perfectly disorganized, was just as chaotic as a bed head.

"Good morning, Stefan." She said, breathlessly holding her undead heart, pretty certain she would have died from a heart attack if she were human. "You've surprised me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"What are you doing up at five-thirty in the morning?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither." Caroline said before gesturing towards the table. "Do you wanna talk about you?"

"No, I wouldn't want to intrude... whatever you were doing."

Caroline smiled. "There's no intrusion. Please, I insist."

Stefan sighed before taking his seat at the kitchen table. Caroline poured herself a mug of blood, putting away the pitcher back into the refrigerator before sitting beside him. "I have a feeling I know what you're troubled about." She began.

"Forget it, Caroline. There's nothing I can do to get her back."

"How about you leave my little problem called Katherine to me and you worry about your relationship with Elena, okay? I can take Katherine. And I highly doubt she'll leave this town alive if she keeps this destruction act up."

"No, I don't want to provoke her anymore then Damon has already. It's not worth it. If you do anything to infuriate her or to change her valuable plans, then we are all to suffer."

She shook her head and overlapped his hand with hers. "Not as long as I'm still existing. She'll never win as long as I'm here. I promise to you, Stefan. She will never truly be successful. I'll make my business before she even thinks about touching another person."

"Fine, but tonight is the masquerade ball at the Lockwood's. I'm certain she's going to be there and we need to come up with a plan to strike back."

"I couldn't agree with you more, darling. I was thinking about having breakfast with Alison at the Grill in a few hours but after that, we'll head back here to think of a plan to

put Katherine away for good."

When it was a reasonable time to call Alison, Caroline did and they agreed to have breakfast together as new friends. To be honest, she liked being in this new vampire's company. Alison's naturally energetic personality is very compelling to be around, despite everything this young vampire has been through, she still puts a smile on her face. She's more powerful then Caroline could ever be.

"So," Caroline said as they were seated at their table, "what'll it be?"

But Alison missed everything she said, she was staring, or rather gawking, passed Caroline and at something behind her. Caroline quirked her eyebrow and discreetly looked over her shoulder at Matt Donovan, dressed in a blue t-shirt, jeans and a white apron tied around his waist and he held a bin, putting dirty dishes from the tables into the bin.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Caroline asked.

Alison finally clued into their conversation and acknowledged Caroline's presence. "Huh? What'd you say?"

Caroline laughed, shaking her head. "If you have better things to do, then please tell me now or shall we continue our breakfast?"

"No, of course. Let's order."

After they had ordered and eaten their foods, Caroline decided to have another cup of coffee at the bar. While she was gone, Alison went to the bathroom. She couldn't help herself from zoning out the morning chatter of the customers in the Grill and to clue in into Alison's sudden need to use the rest room.

"_Elena?"_ Alison asked.

"_Hey, I saw you with Matt. Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah, you know... whatever."_ She said, dismissively.

By this time in their conversation, Caroline was already at the door of the girl's bathroom.

"You're good. What gave me away? Was it my hair? Or was it my clothes?" Katherine asked, sinisterly.

"I know Elena is..." She bumped her back onto the sink when Katherine backed her into it. "I know Elena's at home."

"I need you to deliver a message. Tell Damon and Stefan that I want the moonstone or I will rip this town apart until it rains of blood. Tonight, at the masquerade ball."

"I'm not your little puppet anymore, Katherine." Alison said, trying to be confident. "Tell them yourself."

In another attempt, Alison tried to pass Katherine again, Katherine retaliated by grabbing the new vampire by her throat and hoisting her above Katherine in mid-air. "Maybe I'll start with you." Katherine muttered.

"Now, now, Katherine." Caroline started, revealing herself from around the corner. "There's no need to get violent here. Put the girl down and let's talk."

When Katherine only tightened her grip around Alison's throat, causing Alison to whimper in pain, Caroline slowly walked to Katherine, wrapping her hand around Katherine's wrist that held Alison in the air, and continued to squeeze her wrist until she decided to let her hold go. Katherine's face contorted into its own annoyance and pain. Gradually, Katherine released Alison.

"Alison, go to the Salvatore's home and tell them of Katherine's plans. They deserve to know what happened here."

"Thank you." Alison whispered before discreetly leaving.

Katherine snapped her wrist bone back into place. "Wow, you've replaced _my_spot as your friend with this piece of trash?"

Caroline smiled. "That piece of trash is a better vampire then you'll ever be, Katherine. And she's not even a year old yet. I hate to break it to you, but you were never my friend. I was always yours, but our friendship has always been very one-sided, don't you agree?"

"There it is. You've picked your side. You're siding with _them_, the Salvatore brothers, my annoying little doppelganger, the Bennett witch, and then there's that little redhead."

"Well, if you put it like that, then yes. I am. Not because I've decided to, but because I wanted to and they deserve my allegiance and assistance more than you ever did. You ruined everyone's lives, Katerina. The Salvatore brothers, Elena, Bonnie, Alison. Everyone in this town has suffered because of your doing. All because and for this untold plan of yours. Tell me, what are you planning? Because if you're ever going to make your move, not including these little threats and collateral damages, then why don't we flip to the last chapter?"

"Where's the fun and excitement in that? I can't tell you _all_my tricks, now can I?"

"I have taught you all of mine. Do you remember the times I saved your life over mine, which were more than once or twice? I would have done anything to keep you alive because I knew where you were coming from. You were used and abused for someone else's gain. Now, how do you think that makes Alison feel? Or better yet, how could you inflict that pain on someone else, when you have been treated the same way as a human?"

"Can we keep the past in the past already, Caroline? Every time you have approached me, you bring up nonsense of the past and how it was."

"It wasn't nonsense, Katerina. It was the friendship and leadership you deserved at the time."

"You have failed at making your point. If you have nothing else to say, then I'll leave."

Caroline side-stepped her, blocking her way and the doorway. "Nope, I'm not quite done with you yet. You see, you've been causing problems for everyone, and that forces me to do something in return. So take this a message," Caroline forced her hand into Katerina's chest and gripped around her heart, "if you harm anyone tonight or any other night, even the slightest drop of blood, consider me your newest and greatest enemy. You have made your bed, Katerina, now lie in it."

On her way of the Grill, Caroline wiped Katherine's blood off her hands with a napkin before walking to her car and angrily driving to the Salvatore's house. Caroline almost forgot that Alison was waiting for her in the passenger seat and on the way to the house, she didn't bother asking Caroline about what happened when she left. She could tell by Caroline's expression that Katherine was in the 'do-not-discusss pile'.

Everyone was in the Salvatore's living room by the time the two vampires arrived at their house. Bonnie brought her family's grimoire, Alaric brought his vampire hunting weapons, Damon was eyeing moonstone, before his eyes slid to Caroline, who was still fuming about the events before. Only Katerina Petrova truly knew how to get under her skin and completely disorder her composure.

"You okay?" Damon muttered after he had walked over to her with his arms crossed over his chest.

Caroline sighed. "Yes, I'm fine. I just want to get this over with already."

"Do you really mean that? I mean, she _was _your best friend."

"And she was the woman you loved for a hundred and sixty years. So I guess we're both on the same boat and we both have our reasons to end her. Once and for all."

"Fair enough. But would you stop shaking your hands? You look like your suffering from one of the side effects of Parkinson's disease."

She looked down at her quivering fists and tried to relax them, but to no avail. "I can't help it. I ran into her at the Grill and let's just say I made her an offer she couldn't refuse."

"What did you do?"

"I threatened her with my hand in her chest, but doubt she'll listen. Which means I am now entirely her biggest enemy. I may not be able to kill her, because after all these years I've done nothing but remain loyal to her and I kept her out of harms way from the enemies she made over the centuries. But I want to put her down, more then anything in this world. She has caused everyone too much pain and suffering to live another day freely and peacefully."

Damon nodded. "Good thing we're all on the same page."

Alaric was showing Stefan how to kill a vampire, who looked intrigued but also hesitant that he was witnessing a device that can kill him. "Are you sure you don't want me there tonight?" Alaric asked.

Stefan immediately shook his head. "No, I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about this."

"Okay. I'll make sure she doesn't leave my sight."

Stefan turned to everyone. "All right, if anyone wants to back out now, I'll understand."

"Yeah, cold feet speak now. I don't want this going wrong if someone chicken's out." Damon said, turning to Alison. "That means you Alison."

"I won't." Alison confirmed, firmly. "She killed me. Fair's fair. As long as there's no werewolf running around."

"Oh, no worries. I took care of Mason." Damon said, proudly.

"As long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone and trigger his curse, he won't turn." Jeremy added.

Stefan looked at Bonnie, who stood alone and quite in the corner of the room. "Bonnie? Are you with us?"

She hesitated before nodding. "But no one gets hurt."

"Except Katherine." Damon mentioned. "Tonight, Katherine gets a stake through her heart."

When the sun had set, everyone started arriving at the Lockwood's and Caroline looked down at her lace-green, strapless cocktail dress while standing at the doors. It was the same shade of her eyes, she wore her hair pin-straight and pulled it back into a high-ponytail. She felt the force keeping her from entering this house. Luckily, Jeremy appeared out of nowhere and convinced Tyler invite me in, with a flirtatious glint in her eyes. Alison, who remained by Caroline's side until everything was ready, wore a bright red, one-shouldered dress and her red hair fell in loose curls around her head. Caroline took out her phone, looking at Katherine and a distantly familiar woman accompanying her as they walked inside and were talking to Tyler and Matt.

_She's here._ She texted Damon._ Bonnie and Jeremy are upstairs, getting the room ready. They'll give you the cue._

Barely a minute later, her phone vibrated. _Noted._

Caroline was too distracted with her phone to notice a worried expression crossing Alison's face. "What's wrong?" Caroline asked.

"It's Katherine." Alison whispered. "She's planning on using Matt to trigger Tyler's curse under compulsion."

She groaned and pitched the bridge of her nose. "I'm not surprised. After your done your little contribution to the plan, make sure that doesn't happen, okay?"

"Agreed."

Throughout the night, Caroline waited for her cue. Jeremy had already lured her to the lake under false pretences, and now Alison was leading her to the room upstairs only to be stopped by that same woman who accompanied Katherine to the party.

"You didn't tell me there was another witch here." The woman said, referring to Bonnie.

"Didn't I?" Katherine exclaimed, sarcastically.

"No, you didn't." The woman responded, unimpressed. "No one is suppose to know I'm here and involved. This changes things, Katherine."

"This changes nothing. You're here because you owe your dear friend a favour, Lucy. You wouldn't want to lose my friendship now, would you?" Katherine said, tugging on Alison's arm tighter and yanking her upstairs.

Caroline finally made her appearance when Katherine had disappeared up the stairs. "Of course. How could I forget? You're Lucy Bennett, aren't you?"

"How do you know me?"

"I'm offended. You don't remember me?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I did."

Caroline removed her mask and smiled. "My name is Caroline. I _was _a friend of Katherine's. You and I met briefly ten or so years ago. I only had the privilege to meet you once or twice, but let me guess your situation. You owed Katherine, you were in dept and now you're paying her back by being involved with her little games, right?"

The girl nodded, suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that. I know Katherine and her reasons and her actions more then she does. She doesn't 'do' favours, only to make people owe her something. She loves to have that control, but you cannot let her win. Whatever you owe, it's not worth it. She doesn't know how to be a friend, meaning she isn't your friend."

"I know that much."

"Then, however you're involved with this, I would end it before it's too late. Leave Katherine to me, okay? I promise."

The plan was working out smoothly. But Caroline wasn't that there would be a loop hole and bump in the road that Katherine had her little witch create a binding spell between Katherine and Elena, who ended up coming to the party for answers because everyone was M.I.A all day. After Jeremy informed Stefan and Damon the spell, he and Bonnie waited with Elena, trying to easy the pain in her hand and shoulder where Katherine had stabbed herself to inflict pain to Elena. Somewhere within the chaos, Bonnie left to go find Lucy and Caroline left to go text Alison.

_What's going on over there? Fill me in. _Caroline asked through text message.

A minute later, there was a response. _Tyler killed a girl. He pushed her down and she hits her head against the desk really hard. I knocked Matt unconscious because he wouldn't stop until he killed Tyler and triggered the curse. Sarah, the girl Tyler killed, was compelled by Katherine as well, saying 'if Matt fails, I can't'. The mayor and my mom are on their way here to investigate. I'll lie, saying she was drunk and tripped._

Caroline sighed. _Now we have to make sure Katherine never gets her hands on him, okay? Just be there for him now and do not tell him about us being vampires, okay? We'll take this one step at a time. Hang in there, Alison. We'll get through this together._

When she hit 'send', Caroline rushed upstairs and into the room Stefan, Damon and Katherine were still trapped in. But the Lucy Bennett witch beat her to it, causing Caroline to hide behind the corner.

"Katherine, the spell on this room has been broken. You're free to leave." Lucy said, proudly.

"Thank God." Katherine muttered, walking towards Lucy to retrieve the moonstone from the witch's extended hand.

"When I hand this over, my debt to you is over." Lucy mentioned.

"Done." Katherine said, pleasantly.

"I owe you nothing." Lucy assured.

"I said done. Give it." Katherine says, impatiently.

Damon began to walk towards them. "I wouldn't do that."

Instead Lucy slowly hands it over to her anyway, but it didn't take too long to wipe that look off of Katherine's face the minute she beheld the precious stone. Katherine gasped for air and stood trembling, trying to find solid ground.

"You should have told me another witch was involved." Lucy's tone was emotionless. "She's a Bennett witch, Katherine, but I'm sure you knew that."

Stefan stepped forth. "Wait, Elena-"

"Elena's fine. The spell is broken." Lucy assures, quickly while watching Katherine falls to the ground. "She'll heal quickly, Bonnie's with her."

Katherine withered on the ground, suffocating for air and her body was paralysed. Lucy finally looks up at the Salvatore brothers. "I apologize with my involvement." The girl turns around and leaves, only to stop to look at Caroline, who both nodded at each other in agreement.

Just before Katherine would pass out, Caroline stood over her body with her arms hanging at her sides. "Go on ahead and check on Elena. I'll be there in a minute. I know a perfect place where to put her. Trust me." Caroline said, her eyes never leaving Katherine's, which were battling to stay open.

Stefan and Damon didn't even try to object, they walked around Caroline and left without a sound. Caroline knelt down beside Katherine and picked up the moonstone, playing with it in her hand as if it was the first time she held it. "You know, Katerina, back then I took this with me when you were first transformed into a vampire. This was _his _pride possession, so was your human life. But I risked _my _existence to keep _you _alive to this very day, and _this _is how you thank me? I could left you there, alone and wanted and vulnerable, but I didn't because I was alone, wanted and vulnerable when I first turned. Which is why I will not let Alison be alone on her new life that you cursed her with. How could you have lived this long with such hate and darkness? Have I taught you anything about selflessness and humanity?"

"H-Help m-m-me." Katherine stuttered, breathlessly.

"Not anymore, Katerina. It is far too late to help you. I heard Aimee Bradley was killed tonight. Paralysed. And if I recall, I mentioned earlier today that if someone was going to be blood on your hands, I would become your enemy." A single tear slid down Caroline's cheek. "Consider me your new enemy."

After Caroline had dropped Katherine's unconscious body in the tomb, Damon met up with her and promised to close the tomb when he was done talking to Katherine after she had woken up and saying his final goodbyes. Stefan decided to go home because Elena refused to continue her relationship with him, even after everything he did tonight.

"You need me, Elena's in danger." Katherine said, desperately after Damon tried to close the door on her, locking her on the inside.

Damon stops at the sound of the doppelganger's name. "From who?"

She hesitates, but doesn't answer.

His eyes narrowed. "You're lying. You're always lying."

"Why do you think I haven't killed her? Because she's the doppelganger, she needs to be protected." Katherine tried again for her very life.

"Then I'll protect her," Damon stated firmly before sneering at his former lover, "while you rot in hell."

He continued to slowly close the door in front of her, while she begged for her life and cries at the darkness of the tomb. Caroline walked in through the entrance of tomb and stops at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey Damon." She called after him, he slowly turned around, and looked at her outstretched elbow. "Let's go." Caroline said with a smile.

He smiled at her, blinking back the glossed-over tears behind his eyes, and linked arms through hers. They escorted each other out of the forest, leaving their Katherine memories and treachery behind them.

_**Flashback (Paris, France - 1273)**_

The following morning, Caroline got dressed into her bloodied and slightly damp dress and braided her hair. Very quietly, she used her advanced vampire speed and ran away from his hut while he was still fast asleep in his bed. She looked behind her, a tear falling down her face. _She could not stay with him, at least not physically beside him. It would utterly dishonour and disrespect the memory of her family and friends' deaths, which was caused by the hand of his vengeful father. Her loved ones deserved better then that._ When he would awaken, she would be long gone and out of the country. He would find his bed empty, aside from a little note on his bedside table saying:

_I love you, I always will._

_I will never leave you, never entirely._

Niklaus would never forgive her this time, leaving him and his heart to break for the last time was entirely unforgivable. The next time they would meet, they would not be reunited lovers. They would be perpetual enemies who were bound to hate and fight against each other. The worst type of love that anyone could ever feel for someone is the love that consumes your very being but knowing that you could never be with them. Over time, his heart would heal and he would create a new lover in Caroline's place, but she would forever be an enemy to him and more importantly, unable to completely forget or heal from the love that she felt for Niklaus Mikaelson.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**live2write123: bonjour friends! i literally wrote this in one day after i came home from school today. i guess i was really feeling the Klaroline inspiration today :|. it's only seven pages long in my microsoft word, but it's better then nothing, right? :D thanks to everyone who review, favourite, alert and read this story! i love your support and feedback :).**

**ps. this chapter covers the episode "Rose". but i want to bring something up before you continue to read. i don't mean to put anyone on the spot but please refrain from predicting the next chapter BEFORE i post it. i understand that my chapters are re-written from the actual episodes and i know how predicable they are but PLEASE put up with and be patient with the expectedness of the chapters. i can't help but take offence to it as if i shouldn't be uploading each chapter. i mean, why should i if people are going to predict what's going to happen next? i'm sorry for my announcement but please don't predict messaging me or this story before i upload. i'll branch off this story into another direction once Klaus makes a physical appearance in the present time. i promise :)**

**pss. other then that, you're in for a treat :D. i skipped editing this chapter because i couldn't wait for you to read this! please review, alert, favourite, and enjoy! :) your feedback and support is much appreciated. until next time :).**

**Chapter Twelve: Full Of Surprises**

_**Flashback (St. Austell, England - 1481)**_

_Tonight was one of those nights where Caroline felt compelled to do something. It was a beautiful, summer's evening and there was a warm breeze in the air. She had grown to love the country side of England, despite its highly expected but unwanted chance of crossing Niklaus's path. It reminded her of her hometown in Paris a few centuries ago, when she last saw him. When everyone had gone to sleep and a full moon was high in the sky, Caroline walked through a deadly silent town. It was one of those nights where everyone would stay inside because of the eeriness and uncertainty within the dark streets, only to lightened by every few lanterns on high posts. But she was a four-hundred and twenty-three-year-old vampire. Not a human little thing could scare her. Until she heard it._

_"Please don't hurt me." A girl begged, sobbing. "I don't want to die."_

_"I'm sorry, my sweet." A female sinister voice hissed, unfeelingly. "But you look absolutely delicious."_

_But before the creature could attack, Caroline had raced to the end of an alleyway to find a starving vampire agonizingly pinning a human against a brick wall, enclosing on her craned and exposed neck. Caroline pulled out a wooden throwing knife from her boot, but something inside her told her to not kill this out-of-control vampire. She returned the knife to her boot and ran to the vampire, knocking the newborn vampire unconscious by breaking her neck. Caroline tossed the newborn's body aside and walked to the terrified teenager against the brick wall, frozen in fear. She easily compelled the girl to forget and escorted her back to the girl's home. When she returned, the newborn vampire was still out cold, sprawled out on the wet ground and her long, light auburn hair matted together in tangled together. Caroline knelt down to ground, flipped the body onto her back and brushed away the hair from her sleeping face._

_"Now, what am I going to do with you?" Caroline muttered to herself, waiting a minute or two later to carry the body over her shoulder, out of town and into her isolated cottage that was away from civilization and more importantly blood._

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline was rushed out of bed when Stefan came rushing into her bedroom around noon, shirtless while towel-drying his hair with another towel wrapped securely around his waist from his shower. Normally, Caroline would struggle to stop drooling over and would be unable look away from his undoubtedly fit body, but right now she was too exhausted to care who or what was happening around her.

"Come on, Care! You got to get up!" Stefan shouted, opening her curtains to let in the bright sunlight into her comfortably dark room.

"Is the house on fire?" Caroline grumbled against her pillow, trying to block out the sudden light.

"No." He said, dully and ripped away her comforter from her body.

She growled, wrestling to retrieve her blankets. "Are we under attack?"

Stefan sighed, irritably. "No."

"Then close the damn curtains and let me get some damn sleep before you burn out my corneas!" Caroline shouted, yanking the blankets over her head.

"Jeremy Gilbert texted me a minute ago. Elena's missing." Stefan whispered.

After a moment or two of silence, Caroline sprung out of her bed and pulled on a pair of track pants over her pyjama shorts. "Then, why didn't you say that before? Let's go."

He rolled his eyes, exasperatedly but followed her out the door. While Stefan got changed, Caroline texted Damon the news on her way out and told him to meet them at the school. Barely a minute later of waiting in the car, Stefan arrived, slid into the driver's seat and broke the law by travelling twenty or thirty over the speed limit, avoiding any ongoing traffic at any cost.

When Caroline and Stefan arrived at the school, they were accompanied by Damon in the parking lot. Damon, who had beat them to the school before Caroline and Stefan did, was pacing outside his car just as Stefan parked his car beside him.

"It has Katherine written all over it."

"Katherine's in the tomb." Damon explained, frustrated.

"Yeah, Stef. I was the one to put her there and Damon was the one who shut her in last night. It couldn't be her." Caroline said.

"But, she did say something right before I shut her in." Damon recalled. "I thought she was lying under pressure to negotiate with me."

"What did she say?" Stefan urged.

"Elena's in danger."

"And you didn't think you should have asked her to elaborate on that statement?"

"Everything she says is a lie. How am I supposed to know if she's gonna start spouting out the truth?"

"We have to go talk to her." Stefan confirmed.

"No, that's like making an agreement with the devil. She'll want something out of it." Caroline said.

Stefan shook his head and made his way to the school. "I really don't care."

"It's a bad idea, Stefan." Damon warned.

His younger brother stopped and faced the two. "It's Elena."

"Where's Alison? Don't you think she should be here to know what is going on?" Caroline asked Damon after Stefan pulled Bonnie aside to talk to her alone.

"She said she'd rather have a normal day of high school teenager now that Katherine isn't around to manipulate her anymore. But right about now, she's probably dealing with wolf-boy, even though I told her not to. I stopped by her house before I came here, telling her to stay away from him and made her promise not to tell him about us."

"You _told_ her? Or did you _threaten_ her? You see, there's a very fine line between the two when it comes to you."

He nudged her with her elbow. "Shut up, at least I'm looking out for the girl."

"No, you've never 'looked out' for Alison ever before. You're aware that if she does tell Tyler Lockwood that she's a vampire, she's going to bring all the rest of us vampires down with her, which is not what you want you because the minute Tyler's first transformation comes around, you're gonna become wolf-chow, am I right?"

Damon simply glared at her while Caroline smiled triumphantly. "For someone who is a compulsive liar, you're not very good at it. Don't you know by now that I can see right through them, Damon?" She teased as Bonnie and Stefan discussed about opening the tomb door to get some kind of useful information out of Katherine, much to Damon's detest, who had decided to leave the school and find another way to save Elena.

"I can't undo the tomb spell, Stefan." Bonnie said. "Even if I wanted to, it took both me and my Grams to undo it the first time.

"But I can open the door, right? I can talk to her?" Stefan sounded hopeful.

"Yes, but Damon's right." She said, surprising Caroline's ears that the witch actually agreed with her greatest enemy. "She's not gonna freely tell you anything helpful."

"I know, but Bonnie, I have to do something. I have no idea who has Elena, where she is or what they are going to do with her. I'm desperate." Stefan nearly begged.

Bonnie looked up at him with soft features. "What if I told you there's another way to find her?"

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.

"Follow me." Bonnie said, gesturing towards Alaric's empty classroom.

After Bonnie had told the alternative, anti-Katherine way to find Elena's location, Jeremy jumped at the chance to do anything to save his sister. He unfolded a map onto a desk and looked up at Bonnie. "How does this work?" He asked.

"I'll use your blood to draw energy for the tracking spell. You're blood related; it'll make the connection stronger."

"Alright, Alaric said we've got ten minutes to clear out of here within ten minutes."

"We can use my weapons to bring down the people who took her. They're old-fashioned techniques and tools, but the most effective." Caroline offered.

Stefan nodded. "Great."

Bonnie looks at Jeremy. "Ready?"

He nods, offering his hand which Bonnie gently cuts into his palm. She closes her eyes, mumbles the spell as the blood drips over the dot that marks Mystic Falls. The blood drops create a path to Elena's location and stops when it reaches it.

"There." Bonnie's voice sounded a bit drained after she points onto the map. "She's there."

"That's three-hundred miles South from here." Caroline confirmed.

"No, we need a more exact location then that." Stefan said.

"That's as close as I can get."

"We can map it," Jeremy suggested, quickly. "Aerial view will show us what's around there, help us narrow down the area a bit."

"Perfect," Stefan said as he walked to the front of the classroom with a duffel bag of Alaric's vampire hunting weapons, "call me whatever you find."

"I'm coming with you." Jeremy stated, stubbornly, following Stefan to the front.

"No, you're not." Stefan argued, immediately.

"She's my sister." The Gilbert boy tried.

Bonnie's nose began to bleed, but quickly wipes it away before anyone could see. Luckily, the boys were too distracted arguing. But unluckily, Caroline caught her however didn't bring it up.

"No, you two go back to your house just in case. I'll call you the minute I find her." Stefan said, moving towards the door.

"Well, you can't do this alone." Jeremy said.

Just as Caroline was going to differ the Gilbert boy's statement, Damon appeared in the doorway. "He's not."

"You're coming with me?" Stefan asked with doubt.

"It's _Elena_." He had repeated Stefan's words from earlier, taking the lead out the door and out of the school. When Caroline had followed the Salvatore brothers outside, Damon spun around and faced her. "Why are _you _coming with us?" He asked.

"I have a hunch. I think I know who's behind this." Caroline stated.

"Good, then you can tell us on the way there." Stefan confirmed, rapidly.

Just as Caroline was about to hop in the back seat of Damon's car, she looks across the schoolyard next to the parked school buses and sees Alison about to leave Tyler until he grabs onto her arm. She twists his arm behind his back and tosses him aside onto the floor. He gets back up, holding his shoulder. _"How did you- you're stronger then me?" He asked, confusedly. _

_"Please, that was nothing. Just forget it even happened." Alison rebuffed. _

_"Listen, if you know something, you've got to tell me. Because I can't handle this." Tyler said, his voice nearly breaking at the end._

_"I'm sorry, Tyler." And Alison honestly sounded like she meant it. "But I think you're still in shock over Sarah dying and it's understandable. And I can't help you."_

In a fit of rage. Tyler angrily kick a garbage can that flies into a car, setting off it's alarm while Alison stared him down before he left the scene as teenagers everywhere stared at him, baffled and astonished.

On the way there, Caroline decided to catch a few winks due to the sudden disruption to her sleep this morning. But it was rather uncomfortable to find a position sitting up with a seatbelt that strapped her body against the seat. She unfastened it and sprawled out across the seat, curling her knees up into the fetal position. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Caroline listened to Damon and Stefan's conversation in front of her with her eyes shut.

"Thank you for helping me." Stefan said, gratefully.

"Can we not do the whole road-trip-bonding thing? The cliché of it makes me itch." Damon complained.

"Oh, come on Damon." He said, unharmed from Damon's insult. "We both know that you being in this car has absolutely nothing to do with me anyway."

"The elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar." Damon says, mockingly.

"Well, it doesn't have to be an elephant. Let's talk about it."

Damon shrugged. "There's nothing to talk about." He responds, laughingly.

"That's not true, I'm sure there is." Stefan persisted. "Just get it out. I mean, are you in this car because you want to help your little brother save the girl that he loves? Or is it because you love her too? Express yourself, Damon. I happen to like road-trip bonding."

"Keep it up, Stefan. I can step out of helping as easily as I stepped in." Damon retorted lightly, although threateningly.

"No, you see that's the beauty of it." Stefan looks over at his brother, who's eyes were glued to the road ahead of them. "You can't."

To avoid any more awkward tension, Caroline pretended to wake up by yawning while sitting up from her seat and stretching. "Ah, sleeping beauty returns." Damon said.

"Shut it, Damon. My beauty sleep was interrupted this morning and I needed to catch up on it." Caroline muttered, groggily.

"Oh, I'm not complaining." Damon mentioned. "Now, you can tell us about this little hunch you have."

She sighed. "Fine. It all started over five-hundred years ago, before Katherine was turned, I came across a newborn vampire who was abandoned by her sire. I took her under my care to avoid speculations towards the town's constant and nightly killings. And because I pitied the girl."

"Who was it?" Stefan asked, looking over his shoulder.

But Caroline stared out the window. "Her name was Rose-Marie."

_**Flashback (London, England - 1492)**_

After what felt like for days, Caroline returned to her cottage when she had led the party in the opposite direction. She had stripped of her clothes, which were purposely stained and overpowered by Katerina's blood, and tossed into a nearby creek before returning to her cottage unclothed. The minute Caroline tiptoed into the cottage, she wrapped herself in her animal-pelted blanket and it did not take long to be crashed into a nearby wall by her closest friend, Rose-Marie, as her fangs hissed out of her mouth and the small purple veins below her eyes probed, angrily.

"Rose-Marie." Caroline scolded. "Is that any way to welcome me back?"

Rose removed her hold from Caroline and slid her fangs back into her gums and her eyes went back to normal. "Well, forgive me if I'm not the slightest bit about our newest guest."

"Not now, Rose. I do not need to be disciplined by you over my actions. It has been a very eventful day."

"At least explain to me what you are up to! You told me the moment you get your hands on this precious and mysterious moonstone, we would have fled this place by now."

"I know, and I am staying true to my promise, Rose. I just need a little time with the girl. Speaking of, where is she?"

Rose points behind her. "I tossed her into the room, telling her I am to bring her back to the Niklaus and Elijah and beg for their forgiveness."

"Not as long as I stand here, you will not. Rose, even if you did not return the girl, they would kill you if they found out I am your mentor, for your disloyalty towards them because of your connection to me, their greatest enemy."

"As long as that doppelganger is still here and connected to us, that lessens our chances at true freedom and it deepens the chances of them finding us! Is that what you want? To get us killed all because of this one, human girl!"

"No! Of course not!" Caroline said, gripping onto Rose's face. "I've never, nor will I ever, want that for us. You, me and even Trevor will flee this country as soon as I acquire the moonstone. But I will not leave without her. She does not deserve to die for his gain. No one does. We don't."

"But we will run. That is all we will do if that human comes with us. They won't stop until they see us all dead.

"Then, we will run until we are free. Just trust me, okay? You need to trust me now more then ever and we will be gone before we know it."

Rose nodded. "I trust you."

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

After Caroline had finished her story, everything fell silent. All they could hear were the engine running in the car and the occasional pothole in the road. Neither of the Salvatore brothers had nothing to say, but Caroline couldn't blame them. It was her greatest downfall. Stefan was when he allowed the bloodthirst take over his mind and body. Hers was when she betrayed Rose's trust all those years ago, just as Katherine had betrayed hers. When the car had pulled over to the end of a side road, Damon and Stefan exited the car and Caroline followed them. But only to be stopped by a voice she never heard of until now. Much to her distaste.

_"We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going." The voice said cheerfully and eagerly._

_"P-Please, don't let him take me." Elena's petrified voice shook with fear._

She stopped dead in her tracks while the two brothers argued about the very possible death sentence they are about to enter and about making their final decision to go in the old, abandoned farmhouse. They didn't realize Caroline's jaw drop open, her lungs constricted for air as she desperately gasped for it.

"What's wrong?" Stefan finally noticed Caroline's refusal to follow them.

"You two should stay out here." Caroline said, wide-eyed.

"What now?" Damon complained, irritably.

"If you value your lives, you will heed my words and stay out here."

But before they could question her any further, Caroline raced in side the house just time to see Elijah Mikaelson decapitate Trevor's head from his body in one swing of his hand. The cries of Rose, whose hair was short and 'pixy-styled' then the last time Caroline had seen her, clenched Caroline's heart painfully as Elena watched the scene in horror.

"Where is the moonstone?" Elijah compels Elena, calmly when she had brought it up and he forcefully removed her vervain necklace from her neck.

"In the tomb, underneath the church ruins." Elena said, dazed.

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

Elijah hesitates at the sound of her name. "Interesting."

At the sound of glass shattering from upstairs, Caroline suppressed a sigh, knowing that Damon and Stefan were making their move against her warning. "Who else is in this house?" Elijah asked Rose.

"I don't know." Rose said.

Elijah dragged Elena, forcing Rose to go with him and depart from Trevor's separated body, and into the front foyer of the house. While they were gone, Caroline silently hoped the Salvatore brothers the best of luck as she approached Trevor's body. She was never one to be fond of Trevor. He was always putting doubts into Rose's head about trusting Caroline and his loyalty, apart from towards Rose, was always questionable. But no one deserves a death like this. After half a millennium of fear and running, Trevor deserved his freedom regardless of his past decisions. She knew the life of constant fear and running, but nothing like Rose and Trevor had to endure.

Caroline managed to find a white bed sheet that was used to keep the dust off of the abandoned furniture and wrapped Trevor's head and body in it. She snuck out the back of the house and began to dig his grave at the roots of a willow tree and in the middle of a meadow of wildflowers. By the time she dug out a six-foot-deep grave, Rose suddenly arrived in rush and stopped to look at the sight in front of her.

"It was the least I could do, Rosemarie." Caroline briefly explained. "I know how much he meant to you."

Rose nodded, although she still could not believe her eyes and whispers, "he did." Regardless of their situation, she helped Caroline bury the body and carved his name into the tree trunk with the following:

**Trevor**

**1450 - 2010**

_**A Beloved and Devoted Friend**_

_**Rest In Paradise**_

_**May now you be truly Free.**_

When the grave was set, Caroline left to let Rose have a moment alone with her best friend without a sound. At the car, Stefan was comforting Elena in his arms while Damon awkwardly facing the opposite way.

"How are you, Elena?" Caroline asked.

"Still a little shaken up."

She nodded. "Understandable."

"Thank you for coming to rescue me. No one asked you too." Elena said.

Caroline smiled. "You're very welcome. It was no trouble at all."

"We should head out." Damon announced.

"You know, I think I'm going to walk."

"It's a three-hour drive." Stefan reminded her.

"I'm a vampire. Three hours is nothing. And besides, I have a lot on my mind. I just wish to be alone right now."

They nodded, getting in the car and driving away. Caroline sighed, tucking her hands behind her back and gradually began to walk after the car, in no hurry to return to Mystic Falls.

By the time she returned to the Salvatore house, night had fallen. The house was empty. Stefan and Elena were reuniting with Bonnie and Jeremy and Damon was at the Grill, drinking his problems away. When she got to her bedroom, their was an envelope with her name elegantly scribbled across it. At first, some reason she hoped it was from Rose, who somehow found this how and left her a note. But then she thought of the possibility of Elijah leaving a threatening note after finding out her involvement in today's plan to rescue Elena. However, she didn't expect this and it was far worse then that.

_There is not a place in this world where you can hide from me, Caroline. You have always been able to run away from me, but you have never been able to hid from me for long. Our paths are always bound to cross again. I'm always watching you. But I have come to the conclusion that I have grown tried of watching._

_ Yours truly, Niklaus_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**live2write123: hey everyone! i couldn't wait to post this chapter so i didn't edit it again so bear with the spelling/grammar mistakes! tomorrow is my first last exam and i'm actually feeling pretty confident. i hope you all know that i should have been studying for my exam, but i found myself writing pages and pages more of this chapter. but wish me luck anyway! today was my last official day of high school and at first, i didn't know if i'm actually glad it's over or not :\. either way, i know what i'm NOT going to miss: the drama, the controlling teachers and the stupidness that most of the students have! i mean, this past monday, someone set the school on fire in one of the bathrooms with over $10,000.00 worth of damages and it was hot as HELL at 1:30 in the afternoon, standing underneath the sun and THEN walking home in it :(. and today, all of the grade 12's wore our uniform golf shirts to school to get them signed by each other and we got busted for an innocent flash mob during school before classes started as well as blamed for the whole fire incident! i mean, i KNOW they were thinking, 'oh! since the grade 12's are leaving this year, we have no time to narrow down suspects and we're friggin pissed as hell about all of this cash we need to spend on, we'll blame it on them'! gosh, after this whole incident today, i can't WAIT to leave. :D but next thursday is my graduation and then I AM FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! **

**ps. anyway, enough with my rant :P, i'll keep it short and simple. i hope everyone really likes this chapter because it has a little bit of everything in it and i think it'll satisfy EVERYONE:). Daroline, Steroline, Katheroline(?), Elenorline(?), and maybe even some Klaroline ;), but i guess your going to have to continue reading to find out! **

**pss. thank you so much for the reviews, alerts, favourites and reading this story! i'm thinking about making my updates into a routine when college comes around in september, but let's not worry about that now! i cant tell you when or how the updating routine will be because i don't know when i'm busy or free to write BUT i'll still update at least once every week/or other week :). but please ! please review, alert, favourite, and enjoy! **

**Chapter Fourteen: Forgive And Forget**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

_This had to be a joke._ Caroline tried to convince herself for what felt like the billionth time. _It had to be fake._ Maybe Elijah was playing a practical joke on her, but he was never one to send threat notes. He was more of a face-to-face confrontation. Or maybe it was Rose, but she wouldn't do this to anyone because she knew more than anyone how it felt be threatened. This was a warning, right? This meant he had found her here and he's most likely on his way now. Or maybe he knew all along her current location and just waited for the perfect moment to make himself known. Why, why after all this time had he waited to do this to her? Why did he have to strike uncertainty and fear into her heart all over again? It had been centuries since she had last seen Niklaus Mikaelson, and for a long time, she hoped the departure would the last time she ever saw his face. But as note mentioned, it was never too long until the next time their paths would cross.

Caroline didn't get to sleep after reading the note. She wouldn't let herself. She began to shake uncontrollably, or pace her bedroom with the note clutched into her hand while she read it over and over again until she had it memorized. She had become paranoid and she didn't let anyone into her room for most of the next day. All she could do was curl up into her bed, emotionally exhausted but absolutely refused to fall asleep. If she were to ever leave this house, let alone this bedroom, she would carry a weapon with her wherever she went. Just in case. Just like the old times. At this particular timing, Caroline remembered Trevor's execution vividly. Unfortunately, she remembered it vividly now more then ever. Niklaus could very well do the same thing, slice her head clean off her shoulders in one sharp swing of his hand. She was in the same position as he was. Caroline had taken Katerina under her wing, stole the moonstone, became runaway accomplices with Rose and Trevor back in the 1400s, and she had prevented him to break a five-hundred-year-old curse that needed precise ingredients and Katerina's human blood and life was one of them. The most difficult ingredient to obtain, and Caroline removed that from his plans of breaking his curse. Honestly, Caroline couldn't blame him if he decided to kill her. It would give her mind some peace and quiet, even if she was killed and her head was decapitated and permanently removed off of her body.

When she had woken up from a cat nap of barely two hours compared to a peaceful night's rest, Stefan had worriedly knocked on the door. "Caroline? Are you ever going to come outside?" He asked, concerned.

"No. I didn't get the best of sleep last night." _Or any sleep at all. _Caroline said, groggily.

"Everyone's downstairs. That girl from yesterday arrived at the house this morning and agreed to tell us everything that we need to know."

Caroline sat up from her bed. "You-You mean, Rose is here?"

"If you mean the girl from yesterday with short, brown hair, then yes. She's here."

She was hesitant to give him an answer. "I'll be down in a minute."

After she had heard Stefan leave from behind the door, Caroline managed to walk to the bathroom to shower, desperately hoping to wash away the possibilities of reuniting with her old lover once again after all this time of silence and absence.

Caroline couldn't believe her eyes after she finished her shower, got dressed into whatever she could find, and impatiently met everyone downstairs into the living room Elena had already left for school, leaving Damon and Stefan with Rose. But Caroline's eyes were as wide as saucer dishes at the sight of Rose in front of her. "R-Rose." She stuttered.

Rose barely smiled, but it was an expression other then a sign of hatred. And for that, Caroline took this as a good sign. "Hello Caroline. Long time no see."

"I'll say. I haven't heard from you in centuries. I thought that you might have been-"

"Killed? Well, when I said I was going into hiding, that meant Trevor and I had to cut ties with anyone we knew of from our past. Including you." She clarified, rather bitterly.

"That's reasonable." Caroline said in a low tone, almost embarrassed. "But what are you doing here now?"

"I'm here to explain to them what you failed to do." Rose said, looking at the Salvatore brothers before returning her stare to Caroline. "The Original family of vampires."

"I never thought they would become involved in our lives." Caroline lied, feeling Damon and Stefan's eyes on her. "If they did, I would have told them everything by now."

Damon sighed, tediously. "Okay, how about we skip all this tacky-reunion-crap and cut to the chase. Who was that vampire and what does he want?"

"His name is Elijah." Rose began.

"And what he wants is Elena." Caroline finished.

"But why?" Stefan asked. "What could Elena possibly give him?"

"What Katherine failed to give him." Rose said. "Ever drop of her human blood and death. The ultimate sacrifice of the Petrova doppelganger in order to break the curse."

"Wait are you saying, that now that there's a new human doppelganger in the world, there's another chance for this creepy Elijah guy to break a curse?"

"Not particularly for the gain of Elijah, but for his younger brother," Rose mentioned and hearing the name out loud apart from inside Caroline's head, it still gave her chills. "Klaus. And he'll want the same time what wanted from Katerina. He wants to break his curse. Using Elena as Katerina's replacement."

"Over my dead body he will." Damon said.

"And that's where your wrong. If Klaus wants something, he gets it. He doesn't give up. And there is never a time where he lets an enemy go. I saw what he did to my friend, Trevor. It will be my fate as well if I am ever found." Rose warned before turning to Caroline. "But my good old friend Caroline here knows all about that lifestyle, don't you?"

Caroline felt all eyes on her and knew the doubt in their eyes. The ultimate trust they put in her was easily debatable. "It's true. But I haven't been as honest with you two as I should have."

_**Flashback (London, England - 1492)**_

As much as Rose-Marie desperately wanted to hand over the girl to those higher above in order to save her own skin, Trevor and Caroline would never let her do so. While Caroline was out during the night to finally steal away the moonstone from the castle, Rose tried to put her plans into actions.

"I'd rather die then go back to him," Katerina begged after she had tried to stab herself to death, "please, just let me die."

"If you die, then Trevor dies with you." Rose explained. "And that's a sacrifice I am not willing to make." The vampire bite into her wrist before forcefully pushing it onto Katerina's lips in order to heal her wounds."

Suddenly, the door opened to find Trevor exhaustedly running inside. "Where is she?" He asked just as Rose ran out of the room she had thrown Katerina in and pinned her foolish friend against the wall.

"You and Caroline have set us all on the path of death. I hope Niklaus see the honour in returning that girl to him." Rose said.

"Caroline will never allow it."

"Then I shall rebel against her wishes if it means my life is spared in the end."

"He will sacrifice her."

"Then so be it!"

"I love her, Rose."

Rose looked into her friend's eyes and did not doubt the love in them. "He will kill you." She said, steadily. "He won't stop until he has all of our heads."

"Then we shall run until we die." Trevor stated, firmly.

No one could predict what happened next, but it did happen. Rose and Trevor rush into the room Katerina was in to find her hanging from the ceiling by rope, slightly swaying and her eyes are shut. Neither Rose nor Trevor had to check her pulse to confirm she was dead. They could hear the decreasing heart rate slowly lessen until it stopped completely, confirming the one ticket of getting out of this mess was now gone forever.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Before Caroline could speak another word, Damon rushed over to her and pinned her up against the wall with his hand tightly wrapped around her neck. "What do you mean, 'not as honest as you should have'?" He demanded.

"I mean exactly that." Caroline said, easily removing his hand from her neck. "I've never had the time to sit the both of you down and explain my lifetime of stories to tell."

"What about these past few weeks when you _did_ have the chance to tell us everything?" Stefan asked.

"I always wanted to, but I knew you both already had enough on your plate without my baggage getting in the way of protecting Elena." Caroline said. "I'm so sorry I haven't told you everything, but I will now. Now that you are both involved in with my past."

"You can start by telling us what else there is to be need for this stupid curse." Damon muttered.

"Actually, as strange as it sounds, I do not know what or what else is needed for the curse to be broken. Back then, all I knew that Katerina was lured into Elijah's life for his brother's personal gain and I couldn't let that happen. Not after what he took away from me."

"What did he take away from you?"

Caroline smiled, sadly. "My family."

_**Flashback (London, England - 1492)**_

When Caroline had returned to the cottage from the night with the moonstone in her possession, she thought nothing could disappoint or upset her. Only to come home to see Rose crying hysterically in Trevor's arms and the old human woman who originally owned this house so that certain vampires were allowed inside, dead on the ground with a vicious vampire bite mark on her neck. And Katerina was nowhere to be found. But Caroline knew exactly where the girl had fled. The only place she felt safe, even after she had been disowned by her human family due to an unexpected pregnancy out of wedlock. After an entire day of travel from England to Katerina's homeland in Bulgaria, it was night again and Katerina had returned home to see her parents and the family servants all murdered at the hands of a particularly vengeful vampire.

"You should not have ran from me, Katerina." Caroline said, watching Katerina cry over her mother's dead body.

"Are you here to kill me too, Caroline?"

Caroline observed the dead bodies around them. "No."

"Then, what are you going to do with me?"

"You are coming with me. Just as we originally planned. And you must pledge your allegiance to me entirely."

"Why should I?"

"Because without me, he find you and kill you for your betrayal. As well as mine. We are both his enemies now. We might as well run together, and if the day were to ever come, we will face him together as well."

"Why do you refuse to kill me?"

"I know the feeling to have your only family ripped away from you by the hands of a resentful vampire." Caroline said. "But if you were to ever flee from my side again and disregard the protection I offer to you, then consider this 'friendship' to be over."

"Then, in the memory of my innocent family, I pledge my undying allegiance to you." Katerina stated, firmly.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

"He killed your family?" Stefan asked, incredulously.

Caroline nodded. "And Katerina's. I knew back then that the newborn vampire was vulnerable and now, an even bigger target then before. I took this to my advantage. When we to England, Rose and Trevor had already fled." Caroline said, looking to Rose. "I still remember the note you left me, elaborating your betrayal against me."

"You left us to die in order to save that girl. You made your decision when you left my allegiance for hers. And look who got burned, after all these years. I know you've been Katerina's little faithful follower all this time. But I also knew that Katerina was a waste of space, too bad you didn't find that out sooner or we would have still been friends."

"Rose, you know very well that I cannot take back the past, nor do I want to if I could. I had created a monster out of Katerina and I pay for that punishment every single day. I do not need you to remind of the past and of 'could have been'. Nothing can change was has already taken place, Rose."

She didn't say anything, everything had fell silent. Caroline knew that this changes everything. Damon and Stefan would never trust her again. Not entirely. They knew that she could be hiding something in everything she tells them. But she couldn't blame them. Caroline never told them about Klaus or Elijah or the truth behind Katerina's past. They expected Katherine to be the one to lie all the time, but never Caroline.

To break the silence, Stefan decided to go to school with Elena to keep an eye on her. Caroline went with him while Rose and Damon left to Richmond to find a vampire named Slater who gave Rose information about how to get in contact with Elijah's employees.

"I'm sorry, Stefan. I should have been honest with you." Caroline said on their way to the school in his car.

"I understand why you did, I just never expected you to lie to our faces that easily."

"I wanted to forget about the past for the last couple of days, to remember how it felt like to live without remembering the past or looking over my shoulder. But every night, I have been more and more dreams of the past and I can't run away from what I've done or what I've chosen to do at the time. I have to look forward, Stefan. If I wanted to leave you and everything else that is keeping me here, I would have left by now. But I haven't because I owe you that much."

"You don't owe us anything. I just want the truth from you now, okay?"

"That I can assure. I don't want to sever our reunited friendship, Stefan."

He smiled. "You haven't. There's no possible way you could do that even if you tried. You helped out Alison with her transformation into a vampire, against Katherine's wished, you aided us put down Katherine, despite your devoted friendship to her, you saved Elena yesterday, despite your uncertain return from an old rival. Caroline, you have proven your loyalty to me." He said, still smiling. "Damon isn't going to be as forgiven as I am."

Caroline sighed. "I know. I'm aware that Damon has more trust issues than any other vampire I know. It will take some time."

When they arrived at the school, Caroline determined to play the role of a high school student while Stefan went to go look for Elena. At least for a minute or two. She was sitting on the bleachers beside the track and watching the morning football practice. It didn't take long for someone to notice her unfamiliar but eye-catching appearance.

"Hey there." A boy with a familiar voice came from her left.

She looked over and saw Tyler Lockwood, standing at the side of the bleachers with his helmet in his hand and his duffel bag on the opposite shoulder. Caroline smiled, flirtatiously. "Why hello there."

His eyebrows creased with confusion as he smiled. "Are you new?"

"Is that a question to ask me?"

"No, it's just... if I saw a pretty face, I'm sure I'd remember you."

Caroline laughed at his petty, overused pick-up joke. "Thank you, but no. I don't go to school. I'm home schooled. I'm just waiting for a friend."

"That's too bad. Hopefully, I'll see you around."

She winked at him. "Count on it."

Just as the human coach blew his whistle, signalling Tyler to come over to the field since he was late for practice, Stefan reappeared out of the school with Alison walking closely behind him. Caroline stood up, followed them to his car and they all decided to have lunch at the Grill. By the angry expression on his face, Alison must have done something to set him off. "What's wrong with you?" Caroline asked.

Stefan looked through the rear-view mirror and at Alison's adverting eyes. "Tell her."

"Tell me what?" Caroline's eyes flicked from Stefan to Alison.

"I did something. Something I'm not proud of." She mumbled.

"What is it?"

When she didn't continue, Stefan spoke up. "Go on," he urged.

Alison sighed. "I might have told Tyler that I'm a vampire."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because! After I told him off at school yesterday, he came to my house and accused me of being a werewolf. He wouldn't stop until I admitted it, so I revealed my vampire side to him and he stood corrected."

"What about us? Did you tell him about us being vampires?"

Alison sighed. "No. I lied and told him I'm the only one here."

"You'd better hope Damon doesn't find out." Stefan muttered.

The girl's eyes widened, fearfully. "You guys _can't _tell him! He'll kill me for it!"

"One, I won't let him do that to you-" Caroline began but was interrupted by Alison.

"Always looking out for me." She said, happily.

"-And two, we are not going to be the ones to tell him. You are. When he comes back from Richmond tonight." Caroline finished, much to Alison dislike. During the car ride to the Mystic Grill, Caroline's cell phone rang and Damon's name appeared across her screen. "How's Richmond?" Caroline asked.

"Pretty much as you would expect for the capital of a state." His bored tone said.

"Aw, home sick already?"

"I just can't wait to get in, get all the information I need and get out. But according to Rose, her friend Slater has special, enchanted gifts that will turn out to be useful for us."

"What are you even doing in Richmond in the first place? I still don't completely understand why your there."

"Well, I want to get in touch with a vampire or someone who can hopefully get me in touch with this scary-Klaus-guy and then, maybe, if I'm charming and convincing enough, I'll be able to strike a deal."

Caroline's undead heart thudded in her chest with fear. "What kind of deal, Damon?"

"Come on, Care. I can't give _all _of my secrets away."

"Fine, just... don't make a deal with the devil, okay? I'd like to see your arrogant little face at the end of this road trip of yours, okay?"

"You know, if I had know that you would miss that much, I would've-"

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound like a large amount of glass shattering came from the other end of the line, followed by agonizing screaming. "Damon?" Caroline questioned, worriedly.

"Damn it." Damon cursed before hanging up on Caroline without an explanation. Just as her phone call ended, the car was pulled up into a parking spot in front of the Grill.

After they had arrived at the Grill, Alison got a table for them and ordered her meal. Stefan was too nervous about Elena's whereabouts to eat and Caroline simply asked for a glass of lemonade. When her food was served, Alison dug into her feed as if she was a human who hadn't eaten in weeks. "Sorry I dragged you guys here. But if I don't eat, I get those kill innocent people urges. Tyler totally has those urges too, by the way." Alison explained, stuffing her face with her Caesar salad.

"What else did you tell him?" Caroline asked.

"That alcohol helps tame the urges, too. But other then the basics, nothing much. I was trying to keep the questions to a minimum." Alison said before taking another bite of food and looking over at Stefan, who's hands were in his hair. "Are you mad at me, Stefan?"

"Yes Alison. As a matter of fact, I am a little mad. I mean, you put yourself at risk. Damon warned you what would happen if you got involved with a werewolf."

"It's not like I could help myself. He wouldn't leave me until he knew the truth about me. And besides, I feel bad for him. He was never suppose to be turned. Like I was never suppose to turn into a vampire."

"We understand that, Alison." Caroline stated, evenly. "But as horrible as it sounds, it's your skin against his. If it ended badly, who's life would you pick over? Your life or his life?"

"Well then, let's hope it doesn't end badly." Alison said, optimistically. Caroline looked over at Stefan, disbelievingly, who had groaned and raked his hand through his hair again. Young vampires... like little human children. So naive and inexperienced. They don't think, they just do. And they have no idea what they could get themselves into, regardless of the consequences in the end. While Alison contently ate her food and Stefan continued to stress out over the situation, Caroline's phone rang again and a wave of relief came over her to see Damon's name again. She stood up and hastily walked towards the bathroom. "What happened?" She asked him.

"I don't know, but the special glass in this café that prevents vampires from burning against the sun was abruptly shattered into billions of pieces and all of the vampires inside who all weren't wearing daylight rings bolted, I never got a chance to see who shattered the glass in the first place." Damon explained.

"Where are you now?"

"On our way back. That guy Slater had run off somewhere, but we didn't stick around to look for the guy."

"Do you think it was Elijah?"

"No, I killed him yesterday after we saved Elena."

"How?"

"He broke a coat rack into a stake out of wood and when I got a hold of it, I charged it into his heart."

"With normal wood? I'm sorry Damon, but he isn't dead."

"What do you mean? I watched his skin turn grey, his veins bulging out of his face, the whole dead-vampire visual."

"Yes, but it only lasts a few hours. He is one of the _first _vampires to ever exist in the world. They are much more difficult to kill then an ordinary vampire."

Damon took a minute to process this, but didn't question her uncomplicated knowledge. "Damn it, then he must have been the one to break all that glass in the café."

"Where's Rose?"

"She's in the backseat, sleeping it off. She got burnt pretty bad."

"All right, I'll see you when you two get home."

"See you."

Caroline hung up the phone, exited the bathroom and rejoined Stefan and Alison, who was taking her time eating not that much portions of food. "All right, I'm going to go look for Elena." Stefan said after staring at his phone, checking for any missed notifications, before shoving it into his jean pocket. "She wasn't at school and she isn't responding to my messages."

Suddenly, Alison's eyes became wide. "No! You can't. I still have to tell you about Tyler."

"I think we've heard enough, Alison." Stefan stated, surprisingly harshly.

"You can't leave. I don't want Damon to kill Tyler. And now that there's a full moon coming up, he doesn't know how to prepare for it." Alison whispered, avoiding his eyes.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at the suddenly nervous vampire and instantly picked up on what was going on. Elena must've asked Alison to lie and distract them while she went off and did something that neither Stefan, Damon nor Caroline would approve of. Caroline quickly shot up at her chair, looking down at Alison with a chastised and disapproving look. But instead of explaining the truth about Alison and Elena's little scheme today to Stefan, she used her vampire speed to race out of there in a blur and ended up at the doors of the tomb.

_"That's the real reason why you came back, isn't it?"_ Elena asked. "_Because you wanted to be the one to hand me over to Klaus."_

_"After five-hundred-years on the run, I figured maybe he'd be willing to strike a deal and spare my life."_ Katherine's voice responded, her voice slightly groggy due to the lack of blood in her system.

_"So you got Mason Lockwood to find you the moonstone."_

_"Right again."_

_"What else do you need to break the curse? It's not just me or the stone, is it? Otherwise there would be no reason to trigger Tyler Lockwood's werewolf curse in Mason's place._

_"Look who's getting smarter."_

_"So you need a werewolf?"_

_"Believe or not, they are hard to come by."_

_"What else?"_

_"A vampire."_

It took Elena, as well as Caroline, to understand which vampire it was. _"Alison."_ Elena whispered in a statement, not a question.

_"It could have been anyone I suppose, but I like the poetry of Alison."_

_"So you were just gonna hand us all over to be killed?"_

_"Better you die than I."_

Caroline quickly whipped out her cell phone, dialling Stefan's phone number. "I found her. I'm bringing her back to her house right now. Meet us there." She didn't wait to hear his response, she ended the call and entered the tomb. Elena's eyes instantly landed on her. "Caroline? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Caroline said, disappointedly. "But why would I when I know exactly why you're here."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, it wasn't like anyone else would have told me anything. They either didn't know, couldn't tell it to my face, or they just wouldn't spit it out. But Katherine knows everything to do about the doppelganger curse and doesn't give a damn if she has to tell it to my face. But you knew all about this curse didn't you?" Elena questioned.

"Of course I did. But you must understand, that I never knew why Katerina was so hell-bent on coming back to this tragic little town a few weeks ago, but I followed her here in order to find out what that reason was." Caroline murmured, looking at the darkened and opened tomb where Katherine was unseen, but could hear their conversation. "Let's go. Stefan is waiting for you back at your house."

"Alison told you." Elena asked in a statement, rather then a question, as if she expected it.

"No, she didn't. She kept her end of the promise."

"Then how did you know where to find me?"

"Elena, I've been around a very long time to pick up on expressions and emotions people feel and change from one to the other. One minute she was relaxed and enjoying herself, the next she was nervous and hesitant." Caroline said. "Now, let me take you home."

When Caroline dropped Elena off at her house, Stefan was standing on her porch with his arms across his chest, waiting for Elena's explanation. Caroline left the two to talk it out since they had never officially resumed their relationship or solved any of their issues. It was night time and she returned to the Salvatore house to find Damon and Rose necking in the middle of the living room. She made it to the front door, her hand wrapped around the doorknob, but didn't even bother opening it. She could hear their lips smacking against each other from where she stood. Instead, she decided to let off some steam at the one person she needed closure from.

"Katerina," Caroline began as she stood in the middle of the outside of the tomb and stared at the darkness inside the tomb, "you never told me why she had come here in the first place. But now I know everything."

Katherine managed to hobble her way to the doorway as far as she could go without being stopped by the binding spell. She leaned all of her body weight against the tomb doorway with a proud smirk on her face. "I'm surprised that you, of all people, didn't instantly pick up on my true motives the minute we stepped into Mystic Falls, Caroline." Katherine said with a snicker. "But then again, you've always had this weakness to see the subconsciously good and positive qualities in people, no matter how bad or how many wrongs they had done in one's life."

Caroline shrugged, approaching the tomb closer until she stood inches away from her former best friend, the barrier in between them was only preventing either of them from crossing. "Perhaps I hoped to see the good in you. After all of these years, I've always wanted to believe and see the good in you, Katerina. Or the possibility of your actions being sincerely sympathetic towards humankind. But because of you, I made the decision to protect you over losing Rose and Trevor's friendship, whom I'd probably still be friends with to this very day if I had made the decision to protect you from my enemies. Never have I ever wasted so many years protecting and educating a vampire who never wanted to be taught or trained differently in the first place. You were courted by the Mikaelson brothers in order to be sacrificed over a curse. And now, Elena is in the same position as you were. Back then, it was either life or death. But now, Elena Gilbert will do anything in her human power to fight against her enemies with her own strength in order to protect the people she loves. However she has utterly declined the option of becoming a vampire in order to escape her problems and worries. And that is you are different to her, Katerina. Elena will not end her life, end lifelong friendships, and throw Stefan's or Damon's or anyone else's life that she cares about into the fire to protect her on skin. But you did. Because you were, and you still are, a selfish coward who will let everyone be killed and you would kill anyone if you were to survive in the end. No wonder the Salvatore brothers have given up on you. You are not worth the fight anymore. You never were. If you are to ever leave this dungeon of a home, I will be the one to kill you. I will not make the same mistake with Elena. I will protect her life and everyone else's before a destructive hand is remotely close to putting them in harm's way."

Katherine remained quiet for the entire speech, seething in the truth she detected behind Caroline's cold, heartless and sincere words. But as always, she covered it up with a self-assured, overconfident smirk. "And if you are to be killed in the process? Any member of the Original family can kill you in there sleep, Caroline. You are to be so foolish to put your nine-hundred existence of life over these trivial, meaningless and temporary ones?"

"Yes." Caroline answered, instantly. "I shall be killed. After nine-hundred-years of running in fear, I would give anything to be put a rest. If I was dead for the last time, then I would accept it as a blessing with open arms and peace would finally be in my ultimate possession."

"Oh, do you have a death wish now, Caroline? Do you want to be killed that badly?"

"Well, if I cannot, and since I do not want be pardoned and forgiven for my mistakes and decisions, why would I want to live? For me? Maybe in another world, but not this one. I am not like you. My existence has been nothing to me. I have never lived it for me, which is utterly upsetting since it has always been _my _life to live to begin with. But it's the only way I _know _how to live. To move around constantly, to live in other people's houses, to burn evidence that I had ever taken residence in a stranger's home, to constantly look over my shoulder in order to ensure that someone isn't trailing behind me, to carry a weapon in my boot before I walk out the door. It's very exhaustingly to live in fear, which is why I pity Trevor and his death. He never lived a normal life after he met you. I fear but also hope my death sentence will be the same. Quick and painless." Caroline sighed and shook her head before meeting her glossy eyes. "Katerina, I stood by you, scolded you even though you never listened, and protected you even though foremost and limitless sacrifices were at cost. You were always my friend. Even before I met you, I always believed you would be worth every risk if it meant you were to survive in the end with me. Simply because you deserved to live a life without the worry of being apart of a procedure that broke a curse for someone else's gain. But I was never your friend. And no matter what I did and after everything I did do, I could never prove to you that I have always deserved your friendship received your friendship."

As Caroline turned around and left, she knew it was for good. She said everything that she had wanted and need to be said and now, maybe she could finally be a peace and have that closure with Katerina Petrova. At least, with her former best friend she could receive it without any regrets or remorse.

After she had returned to the Boarding House, everyone was asleep in their beds accompanied by their partners. Elena was sleeping peacefully beside Stefan, who had completely forgiven her for going behind his back to talk to Katherine. God knows, and what Caroline never wishes to hear nor see again, what Rose and Damon did after their little make-out session in the living room. But Caroline stopped dead in her tracks when she saw another identical propped elegantly on her bed with her name gently scribbled across it with familiar handwriting. Even though everything in her mind told her to end her suffering and throw the note away without a second glance. But she found her body rebelling against her protesting thoughts. Her hands shakily pulled out another card and began to read the second message.

_My Dearest Caroline, _

_I deeply apologize if you are worrying about my previous note I had sent you. It wasn't my intention to make you fret over it. I wouldn't be surprised if you were still nervous over the note due to the fact that we have not spoken in any shape or form for a very long time. Too long, I'd say. But it also wasn't my intention to come off as if my anticipated reappearance was a threat to you. I cannot tell you when, where, or how our paths will cross again, but mark my words, our reunion shall be perhaps in a few days, a couple of weeks, or maybe a month from now. And this time, I have no intention in letting you go again as easily as I have in the past. Not after all of the pain and suffering and loneliness and betrayal you have made me endure for centuries._

_With all my love, Niklaus_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**live2write123: hey everyone! sooo here's the next chapter and i hope it's to everyone's liking! i'm absolutely loving the reviews, favourites and alerts as always but please don't be a stranger! leave a review if you want to tell me what you want to see from when Klaus does arrive in Mystic Falls in the present or you could just tell me what you liked or disliked about the chapter! or i'm gonna have to start holding chapter hostage until you do -_- (*cue in evil laughing*). but i hope you all know that i'm completely open to new ideas. i've always really lacked in that department to come up with new ideas for scenes between the characters. but if you want to contribute, i'll give a shoutout to whoever PM's me for new scene ideas between any of the characters who have made an appearance in the story :).**

**ps. this chapter covers The Sacrifice, i hinted a little light on Caroline's past and how she feels about humans and how, from time to time, has a constant battle with herself, debating if it's good or bad to treat humans equally or poorly. but other then that, we have some more Daroline in this chapter since some of you root for them :).**

**pss. today was my last exam for high school, i'm officially done on thursday! not only am i out of school, but for a lot of us teenagers HAVE THE ENTIRE SUMMER! WOOT WOOT! so i hope you'll expect more updates. i hope to be done season three by the end of the summer -_- . i hope you all know that yes, my story is still going to be based off the show BUT i'll be adding a lot more Klaroline moments and history and creations from my own mind into the story so that it's still like The Vampire Diaries TV show, but with a little me-flair thrown into it. basically, the same show but as if i was one of the creators (which unfortunately, i'm not :() and what scenes i wish i could see and how i would portray a spin-off series from my view :). i hope that clears everything out! the last thing want is to utterly and totally disappoint any of you, especially the readers who have read since the beginning and have been waiting incredibly patient for Klaus to arrive. i just hope we're all still on the same page here, i really don't want any angry comments saying when i'm going to branch off in my own direction or that the story is still repetitive of the TV series. but other then that please review, alert, favourite, and enjoy! :D thank you all my lovelies for the incredible support!**

**Chapter Fourteen: Dodge The Bullet**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Thinking about him and his threats or whatever the hell he was trying to achieve in the end, Caroline put all of her anger and fear into her fists while they wildly beat at the punching bag, hanging by the strongest piece of chain she could find from the ceiling of the Salvatore's basement. Last night, she didn't even try to sleep again after another note from him. She immediately went out to a local gym equipment store downtown, permanently 'borrowed' an hundred-pound punching bag from the store, stole an eye hook and carabineer in order to hang the chain from the ceiling to the bag, skipped thieving the proper boxing gloves, and began swinging at it since she came home at two in the morning. She was surprised that no one had woken up during the night, especially all of the vampires with their super-enhanced senses to pick up anything infuriatingly loud even in their sleep. But now, it was impossible for her to return this to the store due to her blood smeared everywhere on it, the gashes on her hands and knuckles must have reopened a thousand times before they healed over only to be reopened repetitively after she went for another punch. Suddenly, the sound of the basement door to the Salvatore's house opened, but it didn't stop Caroline from continuing her twelve-hour-straight workout.

"Hey there slugger!" Damon's voice hollered from the top of the stairs. "Can't you be a little more quieter down there? Some of us actually _need _our sleep!"

"Kinda busy here, Damon! Give me five more minutes!" Caroline yelled back, breathlessly and continuing to wail at the punching bag.

But instead of walking away, Damon ran downstairs using his vampire speed and stood in between her and the punching bag. He quickly grabbed her wrists and examined her bloodied fists. "I think you're done for the day, Care." He said. "And since when did we have a punching bag?"

"Since last night. I couldn't sleep, had some bottled up anger and frustration in me and decided to take it out on my newest toy."

"You know, I've never seen you _this _angry before. What fuelled the fire?"

_Klaus_. Caroline sighed, wiping her perspiring eyebrow with the back of hand. "Katherine did. I went to revisit the tomb after I brought Elena home. But unlike you, I don't go around killing people because of her. She never deserved that satisfaction."

"Yeah, well, we all have our ways to release our Katherine rage, all right? Yours is more humane, self-inflicting actions then mine, but no one is perfect."

"You and I are certainly not saints."

Damon raised her worsening hands, which refused to heal this time. "Clearly."

"Lately, I've been on edge lately. The night before yesterday, I've never had that less of a sleep before, and I was fuelling through the day yesterday on God knows what exactly. I felt a zombie. But I've never been on edge like this since I was turned and during the first six months of my new life, and that was nine-hundred years ago. Last night I wanted to _kill_ someone More then anything in this world. And above all, I wanted to kill an innocent person. The first person I would see, I knew they would be dead within a second before the could even see me or comprehend what was happening to them." Caroline angrily raked a hand through her hair. "I don't want to feel like this. This urge to kill. It's so juvenile and negligent and monstrous of me to even reconsider the civilized methods I have educated and practised myself for the past nine-hundred years. I just want to be me again. But there never was a time where I was just being myself. Before Katerina, I was still a nomadic and paranoid vampire. The only time I can remember being myself was when I was still human, and I barely remember those days. Another day I live, the more I forget of the human life I had never appreciated until now."

"Well, first off, it's good thing that you're talking about it. I've learnt how to keep it to myself for decades since I've killed people on a regular basis and I had no regrets or remorse doing so. But for the ones that are still civil towards the human race and have accepted their humanity? They would get knocked off the crazy train if they kept these persistent urges and inhumane thoughts bottled it up inside. But they also can't accept the fact that they are not saints anymore. From time to time, their subconscious still can't accept the fact that they are dead, fatal, unsympathetic predicators of the night. They seem to forget that they are no longer human, hence the fact that they shouldn't have to feel obligated to feel sympathy or concern for the human race. I would understand why they would, but that doesn't mean that they have too."

"And vampires like _you _feel obligated that since they are vampires now, they should utterly refuse and forget on the topic of how the humans feel every time their life had been taken away from them or to be used and abused by them just because they are stronger then humans." Caroline ranted, causing Damon to raise a curious eyebrow at her, before she sighed. "Look, you and I have very different opinions of humankind. I can't seem to let go the feeling of being human and the opportunity I would jump at if I ever could be human again. Just for a day. Without all the urges and immortality and the need to kill. I'd say it would be a day in paradise. When you've lived as long as I have, Damon, you'll soon realize that it becomes a chore to get up everyday and hope for different results, but expect the same ones."

"I'll remember that in nine-hundred years from now. If, that is, I make it that far to my nine-hundredth birthday. But who knows? I've gained a lot of enemies over the decades."

"Nonsense. I've had enemies for my entire existence and I'm still here."

"Speaking of which, yesterday, when you told me about how an Original can't be killed by an ordinary stake, how did you know about that?"

"Damon, I've been running from the Originals ever since I was created. In that department of a running fugitive, I'm no different then Rose. Except the fact that I like to do my dirty work behind closed curtains and instead of running from them out and in the open. I've learnt to remain in the shadows for my entire existence. Over the centuries, I've learnt everything about them from a safe distance to the point where it became an obsession. I haven't faced one of them in a very long time, but that doesn't ease my paranoia. They wouldn't die without it being announced to the world. And when the day comes, if it ever comes, I'll be the first to know."

Damon studied her at first before finishing his blood bag and tossing it into the trashcan across from their chairs. "Let's hope that day is almost here."

Caroline nodded. "I agree."

During her prolonged shower, Caroline washed her hair and body more the once due to the grime layer of sweat that had built up on her skin during her extreme workout. She was peacefully rinsing her washing her face until she heard it.

_"Caroline."_

The familiar voice whispered from behind her, causing her to spin around, clumsily falling down onto the slippery ground of the bath tub and plummeted over onto the tiled floor. It took her temporarily aching body to heal of its bruises but she could have sworn that her undead heart was thumping loudly in her chest. She heard _his _voice whispering in her ear, although it was entirely her imagination. Maybe it was too late. Maybe she was going mentally insane.

Caroline gradually stood up from the floor, wrapping a towel around her body and stood in front of the wide mirror with grey vapour clouded against its surface. She was reluctant to wipe it away and stare into her reflection. She had taken a breath, extending her hand out in front of her just as her fingers barely touched the cold surface. Squinting her eyes shut, she wiped away the vapour until there was enough away to see her face. She counted down from three and opened her eyes to see the same person staring back at her. Caroline smiled at the results and scolded herself for acting childish. She twisted the taps on the sink, bent over cup her hands under the running water to splash onto her face. When she stood up straight to look herself in the mirror again, within the fog on the mirror beside her, was the reflection of Niklaus's face. She gasped, turning around to see no one there standing behind her. _Yes_, she thought to herself as she gasped for unneeded oxygen, _I am indeed going insane._

By the time she was done, she got dressed into her clothes, braided her damp hair and ran downstairs to an empty house, aside from a note on front door.

_Stefan and I had to go to the tomb and give Katherine a little chat. We're gonna try get her to gratefully hand over the moonstone and to find out another way to dispel the moonstone. Hopefully she'll has some information on it and since you're probably still angry at her and everything else that's going on, I skipped out on asking you to go with us. We'll be back in an hour. Try NOT to get yourself into any trouble while I'm gone._

_ - D_

Caroline crushed the piece of paper in her hand and made her way to the living room where she heard two distant female voices. _"It's a bad idea." _Rose said while pacing the floor.

"No, it's not. From what Stefan told me, your friend Slater obviously has more information about Klaus. You and Damon just gave up before you got it." Elena said, evenly

"Because somebody blew up a coffee shop with us in it. Sorry that we didn't feel the need or reason to stick around any longer."

"There's more to learn. We just have to find a way to learn it."

At this moment, Caroline made herself known to the two girls and their eyes landed on her. "Don't mind me. Just passing through."

"No, actually, can you talk some sense into this foolishly brave doppelganger? She won't listen to me." Rose said.

Caroline's eyebrows creased with confusion before taking her seat beside Elena. "What's going on?"

Elena sighed. "I want to go to Richmond, and since Rose is Slater's friend, I thought she'd want to come with me."

Rose shook her head in disbelief. "That's a lie and you know it. Why are you coming to me with this, anyway?"

"Because you owe me. One word from me and Damon and Stefan could have killed you for kidnapping me." Elena threatened.

In return, Caroline looked curiously and amusedly up at Rose, who seemed unfazed by the threat. "Or maybe it's because you know that they wouldn't want you doing this. And their moonstone caper gives you a chance to sneak away." Rose stated, correctly.

"We're having a disagreement, okay? They're willing to risk everyone that I love and I'm not." Elena said.

"They're just trying to protect you."

"And you've proven that you couldn't care less whether I'm protected or not, so we're back to you taking me to Slater."

Rose fell down onto the couch in the remaining empty spot next to Elena. "What exactly do you hope to achieve by this?"

"How would you like to be able to walk during the daylight?" Elena countered, knowingly.

Rose looked at her, doubtfully. "I've been a slave to the shadows for five-hundred years, what do you think?"

"I think I know a witch who's willing to do whatever it takes to help, if you're willing to make a deal."

"Then it's settled," Caroline announced while standing, "us three will go to Richmond and return before Damon hunts us down and kills us for taking her without his permission."

After a very awkward and soundless car ride to Richmond, they finally arrived at Slater's penthouse apartment. Rose knocked on his door a few times to never receive an answer once. She tried to convince Elena that he wasn't home and that they should have just turned around, but the persistent doppelganger would have none of it. Rose rolls her eyes before forcing the door open with her strength, breaking the chains that kept the doors secured together closed.

"Slater?" Rose called, walking into the deadly silent apartment first before she stops and stares down at the ground, "I don't think he's gonna be much help."

Elena and Caroline rejoins her and sees the body of Slater, laying on his back, his skin grey ashen and a wooden stake through his heart. Elena sighed, walking towards a computer desk with piles of files and two computers sitting there. Rose pulled away the body from the kitchen area before joining them. "Looks like whoever blew up the coffee shop found him and killed him for his information." Elena said, looking through the papers.

"Yeah, probably to stop him from helping people like us." Rose hinted, heading towards the curtains. "The guy was a vampire almanac, knowing too much information just bit him in the ass." Rose pulled apart the curtains, causing Elena to question her actions. "Tempered glass, UV rays can't penetrate." She explained, as if it was the most popular question she was ever asked to clarify. "Whenever I had the chance to visit him, I used to just come here and watch the day"

Elena looks down at the picture before looking back up at Rose, who's back was turned to them. "I'm sorry about Slater."

"Any luck?" Rose asked, all too quickly.

"It's password protected, I can't get in."

"Then this is pointless, let's just go." Rose tried again until there was a noise coming from the opposite side of the apartment.

Caroline reached for her wooden knife in her boot. "I'll investigate. You two stay here."

When Caroline managed to get to the bedroom, she opened the doors to it and looked around. Hiding behind the television cabinet was a girl with long black hair, too much make-up for Caroline's taste, and a short black dress. "A friend of yours, Rose?" Caroline asked just as Rose ran over to stand beside her.

"Alice?" Rose asked.

The human girl, named Alice, walked to Rose and through her arms around the vampire, sobbing dramatically while Rose seemed reluctant to comfort the girl. Caroline looked at them quizzically and Rose's response to Caroline's look was her eyes rolling. While Elena left to go make tea, Caroline and Rose escorted the distraught girl to the couches and sat on either side of her. "Who are you?" Alice asked Caroline.

She opened her mouth to respond, but Rose beat her too it. "She's an old friend."

Caroline smiled at Rose, thanking God that this was a better improvement on their broken friendship then she could ever ask for.

Rose and Caroline stood up and met Elena in the kitchen, who was already pouring the tea into a mug. "She found him a few minutes before we did." Caroline explained.

"How is she?" Elena asked.

"Overreacting." Rose said, casually. "Big time."

Caroline looked over her shoulder at the human, her eyes squinting at the girl's back turned towards her as Elena scoffed. "Her boyfriend just died. There's no such thing as overreacting."

"Those tears are for her." Rose said, causing Caroline to look at her. "She didn't care about Slater. She was only dating him long enough to see if he'd turn her."

"Ah," Caroline whispered before looking at the selfish human, "she's one of _those_types of human. She's a crazed, obsessed vampire-fan girl. You see, she's a human life that I wouldn't spare and wouldn't mind ripping her throat out. Now, I bet you any money that she's thinking about who her next victim is going to be, and then she'll leech onto him in order to be turned. It makes me sick." She grumbled, low enough for the human not to hear her threats. "Just ask her what needs to be asked before I do something we will all regret."

Elena poured the tea and walked towards the living room while Rose took a seat beside Caroline. "What's wrong with you? I've never seen you this... frustrated with a human before. I'm sure you've come across a human like Alice."

"I have, but I've never thought ill of them, despite their ulterior and twisted motives, and I've never thought about killing them for their selfish reasons. I'm just... not myself today. I'll be fine tomorrow."

Rose nodded. "I hope so."

Suddenly, a question from Elena's bargaining with the human made the two old vampires to look at her. _"What if I could convince Rose or Caroline to turn you?"_ Elena negotiated.

Alice's expression easily altered from mourning to excited, meaning that she would do anything for her if it meant a vampire could turn her.

"Will you show us the files?" Elena asked again.

The girl smiled, excitedly and nodded before standing up and practically skipping with delight towards the computers. She began typing away as everyone else in the room followed her there. "Someone's been here. The hard drive is completely wiped out." Alice explained.

"Yeah, probably whoever killed him." Rose said, coldly.

"Lucky for you, Slater was paranoid. Everything is backed up on a mode server."

As the human puttered away at the computer, Caroline looked at Elena unimpressed. "What?" Elena said, innocently.

"You know that she's not going anywhere near my blood, right?" Rose asked.

Caroline nodded in agreement. "Same with me. She'd make a horrible vampire, her personality would be heightened and it would be disgraceful to have her as a companion. If only she knew how lucky she is still be human."

"Yeah, I know that, the both of you know that... but she doesn't." Elena muttered, wickedly while she turned around to face the computers. Rose and Caroline exchanged looks at each other, amusedly.

"These are all leads to vampires?" Elena asked Alice.

"Slater was obsessed," Alice said, "almost as much as me."

_I bet._Caroline thought to herself._That's not something to be proud about, human._

"What about that one," Rose pointed to one name.

"Cody Weber?" Caroline read out loud.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, look. Slater had exchanged dozens of emails about Elijah to Cody."

"I could call him."

Elena hands over the phone to Alice. "Tell him that we're trying to send a message to Klaus. That the doppelganger is alive and she's ready to surrender."

Caroline's eyes doubled in size as Rose spluttered out, "what?"

"Oh my God!" Alice exclaimed. "I knew I recognized you."

"Just get him the message please." Elena said before turning around and walking away, only to be followed by the two vampires.

"What the hell was that, Elena?" Caroline hissed.

"I'm getting Klaus's attention." Elena stated as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"If Klaus knows that you're alive, he will find you and he will kill you." Rose said a dominant warning tone, but by Elena's unfazed expression, she and Caroline completely understood what this entire mission was about.

"Which is exactly what you wanted all along." Caroline finished, incredulously.

"It's either me or my family."

"There's no doubt in my mind that he will still hurt you by killing a friend or family member in the end, even if you follow with his little plan." Caroline assured.

"So this whole charade is some suicide mission so that you could sacrifice yourself and save everyone else?" Rose asked.

Before Elena could explain herself more in detail, Alice rejoined the group. "Cody's on his way." She said before eyeing Elena from head to toe. "And he really wants to meet you."

Caroline shook her head, laughing humourlessly. "Rose? I'm going to give Slater a proper burial. Want to lend a hand?" She asked, looking over at Elena disgustedly. "I need some fresh air."

"Sure." Rose agreed just as Caroline removed the dagger from the vampire's chest. She looked down at the body, confusedly. "What's wrong?" Rose asked.

"This dagger wasn't forced into him. It wasn't deep enough, but deep enough to kill him. It was too easy to remove it." Caroline stated.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that somebody didn't kill him. He killed himself. It was suicide."

Rose looked over her shoulder at the girls behind her. "Let's talk about this outside."

Caroline nodded, closing Slater's open and still eyes with her hand before wrapping the body in a white blanket and carrying the body outside.

"I know Slater." Rose confirmed. "He always bragged about his universities degrees and loved immortal life. I don't understand why he would have killed himself."

"Maybe because someone higher above was coming after him, so he killed himself before they did." Caroline said, digging a grave in the backyard.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't make sense. Slater isn't a coward. He faces whoever encounters him."

Caroline suddenly stopped digging and looked up at Rose from the hole she was digging out. "Or maybe he was compelled to do."

"That's crazy. A vampire can only be compelled when he or she is—" It finally dawned on her features.

"Unless an Original vampire compels them."

Rose shook her head. "No. It can't be possible. Damon said he killed Elijah the other day."

"Yes, but not permanently." Caroline mused. "Do you really think the strongest and first of our kind can be killed that easily?"

She sighed, tiredly. "No, but I was hoping for it."

"We all do." Caroline looked down a Slater, who was placed in the hole before they began to bury him. "Which means this vampire was forced to kill himself. It was out of his control to stop himself from thrusting that stake deep enough into his chest to stop his heart."

When the two vampires were about to returned to the apartment, Rose called someone before they walked inside. In less than ten minutes later, Damon had appeared rushing into the apartment, slightly out of breath but entirely pissed off. "What are you doing here?" He snarled at Elena.

"What are you doing here?" Elena repeated, baffledly before looking past Damon and at Rose and Caroline. "You called him?"

"I'm sorry, Elena." Caroline said on behalf of herself and Rose.

"You said you understood." Elena said.

"They lied."

Suddenly, Alice appeared from the bedroom. "Damon Salvatore?"

"Get rid of her." Damon demanded, annoyed.

"No way." Alice said, disbelievingly as Rose escorted her to another room by the girl's arm.

"Come on, we're leaving." Damon said.

"No." Elena stated, firmly.

"I said _we're leaving_." Damon repeated, more of a threat.

"I'm not going with you."

"_You_ don't get to make decisions anymore."

"When have I ever made decision? You and Stefan do that for me. Now this, this is my decision." Elena confirmed.

"Who's gonna save your life while you're out making decisions?" Damon countered.

"You're not listening to me, Damon. _I don't want to be saved_." She emphasised and whispered, "Not if it means that Klaus is gonna kill every single person that I love."

"Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself." Damon threatened, catching her arm but she quickly pulls away and out of his grasp.

"No!" Elena shouted.

Damon grabs her again as she struggles against him. Just as she was about to give in, she throws a punch at him, but he catches it. He leans in towards her, restraining her fist. "Don't _ever_ do that again." He whispers before releasing her from his hold. During their argument, Caroline pretended to keep herself busy on the computers, but had eavesdropped and captured every expression and every meaning behind his words. She shook her head, knowingly.

Before they decided to leave, Damon quickly enters the bedroom where Rose and Alice was, he compelled her to forget and to fall asleep. "Time to go. The girl is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day."

Suddenly, three men opened the doors and entered the apartment. Damon and Caroline's protective instincts emerge as they stood in front of the girl. "We're here to see the doppelganger." The short man with short hair and a slight Southern accent said, assumingly Cody.

"Thank you for coming." Elena said, trying to step forward only to be caught by Damon's arm again.

"I will break your arm." Damon whispered before turning towards the vampires in front of them and smirked. "There's nothing here for you."

Caroline reached for the wooden throwing knife in her boot and tossed it at one of the vampire's hearts, connecting with one of their chests. To everyone's surprise, Elijah stood behind the vampire Caroline killed and who fell to the ground. Before anyone spoke or moved, Rose quickly left the apartment for her life. He instantly locked eyes with Damon.

"I killed you. You were dead." Damon said.

"For centuries now. But I'm not that easy to kill."

"Noted." Damon grumbled.

"Who are you?" Elijah asked, turning towards Cody.

"Who are you?" Cody asked, baffled and confidently.

"I'm Elijah." Elijah stated, firmly.

Cody's features completely changed. "We were gonna bring her to you. For Klaus. She's the doppelganger. I don't know how she exists, but she does." The vampire rambled.

"Does anyone else know you're here?" Elijah asked, calmly ignoring his rambling.

"No." Cody hurriedly responded.

Elijah looked in between him and his accomplice and barely smiled. "Well then, you have been incredibly helpful." Before the two vampires could say or react, Elijah simultaneously plunged each of his hands into both of the vampires' chest before ripping both of their hearts out. He drops them to the floor after the dead vampires fall with them and Damon prepares to fight Elijah, but he leaves. Damon looked at Caroline, who just continued to stare wide-eyed at the place Elijah left, confused and shocked.

"I'm sorry, Damon." Caroline whispered when she stopped her car in front of the Gilberts house. "If I knew her intentions, neither Rose nor I would help her out on some suicide mission."

"I understand why you did it, Caroline." Damon said in the passenger seat. "You want to prove your loyalty to her and you thought this was an opportunity to do so. But next time, at least give me a heads up, okay? Klaus is around here somewhere, most likely watching our every move as we speak, and I feel more confident when I actually _know_ where she is."

"Okay. Deal. I'll tell you next time, okay? But the minute she told us she was surrendering herself over to Klaus, I knew I had to call you."

"I know. I'm glad you did before they showed up." The corner of Damon's lips tugged at the corners. "I'm gonna walk her to her door and then I might head over to the Grill with Ric. I'll see you at home?"

Caroline nodded. "I won't wait up."

Damon unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door, just as Caroline twisted her key in the ignition to restart the car, he turned back around. "Hey, just so you know, now that I saw it with my own eyes and you really _can _know how to yield a knife, wanna teach me sometime?" He winked.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Of course."

After Damon slid out of the car, he followed Elena up to her doorstep and scolded her there. Caroline shook her head, just like she use to scold Katherine for her brash and thoughtless acts. When she returned to the boarding house, once again, the place was eerie quiet. The type of silence, for even a vampire, made them want to turn on every single light in the house in order to sleep all the way through the night. She looked down at her knuckles, which had finally completely healed throughout the day without her knuckles being pounded into a punching bag without any time to heal. Although they were a little sore with some bruises and redness to them, they would be as good as new tomorrow.

Caroline walked into the kitchen, debating on the blood bag next to the pitcher of fruit juice. Even though it was blood that her stomach and taste buds craved the most due to the stressful and unnatural day she had in a long time, she poured herself a tall glass of fruit punch and closed the refrigerator door to find Elijah in the flesh sitting at the kitchen table with his one leg crossed over the other and his hands laced together on his lap. She jumped back, astonished as the glass of juice plummeted to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Good evening," Elijah stated while his somewhat amused eyes never left her terrified ones, "Miss Caroline Forbes."

"Elijah." Caroline whispered in disbelief as her hands gripped onto the edge of the marble counter behind her, praying to whoever that he wasn't here to kill her for the stunt she fully participated in today's earlier events.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**live2write123: hello everyone! i hoped you enjoyed the last chapter, it wasn't that eventful but as always, yes Caroline has a past with Elijah. i won't tell you what type of past, whether romantic or friendship but either way they've met each other after Katherine's transformation... whether it's a good or bad encounter o.O... you'll have to read for yourself! i want to apologize for the delay of this update, on Tuesday and Wednesday were my first two days of summer and my sleeping routine already went off the rails from waking up everyday for school at six in the morning and going to bed at 11-12ish. on those two days, i stayed up all night and slept in all day, even though i promised myself i wouldn't do that because that's basically my summer life every summer -_-. anyway, on a side note, i realise that A LOT of people are colliding the Twitter hashtags into Facebook and since i don't have Twitter, i find it really infuriating because i have no idea when it's appropriate to throw in a random hashtag sooo i'm gonna try it with the story i just told you: #ihavenolife .**

**ps. this chapter covers By The Light Of The Moon and to be honest, not that much jaw-dropping happens, HOWEVER you see a more of a badass side to Caroline and how deceitful and cruel she can be underneath all that protective and loving character she holds up for everyone to see. i'm just trying to expand her character to great lengths before you-know-who-arrives ;).**

**pss. spoiler alert! i'm going to start alternating the storyline from now on, as you all know, Rose dies because of a werewolf bite, and after that i begin to branch off into my own little version of the story with the same theme and happenings in the TV series. Caroline will still have her connections and involvements to the original story line in the series BUT i'm adding countless more Klaroline moments and flashbacks and how her decisions involving the people around her become progressively more important and difficult. thank you to everyone who alert, favourite, review, and read this story! someone sent me an anonymous comment and i really wanted to say that i appreciated it! i really hope you all enjoy this story, please continue reviewing, alerting, favourite-ing, and enjoying this story! i love the support and feedback :D!**

**Chapter Fifteen: One For The Team**

_**Flashback (Manhattan, New York - 1945)**_

Escaping from the bitter cold of Lower Manhattan, Caroline stepped into a locally and very popular bar and brushed off the snow from the top of her head. In the beginning, it wasn't her intention to get dressed up and go out tonight, but tonight was going to be different. The word has gone around that the famous Carolyn Foster was performing tonight and everyone around town had to stop by and watch. The bar was packed with people, some customers had to stand up and aligned at the back of the bar due to the fact the booths, tables and the bar were already occupied. Caroline hugged her reddish-brown fur coat closer to her body, the nerves were rapidly starting to hit her. Little did anyone know in this bar, that she was indeed this anticipated singer named Carolyn Foster.

Before she could turn around and escape, the bar owner appeared behind the red curtains and grabbed the microphone. He stood underneath the spotlight, the swing music was cut off and the couples dancing on the dance floor stopped.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." He said, cheerfully. "As we all know, Carolyn Foster has finally arrived, fashionably late, I presume," He smiled, "please give her a hand and welcome her to New York as she takes the stage."

The spotlight shifted off of him, through the crowd and onto Caroline, who still stood in front of the door. Everyone's eyes were on her, smiling at her and applauding while they cleared a pathway from where she stood to the stage. Caroline returned the smile at everyone as someone removed her jacket from her shoulders. She wore a black velvet dress underneath that reached just below her knees, with short sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and sequins lining her neckline and narrow waist. Her matching heels clacked against the wooden floors while she walked through the crowd, nodding at a person every now and then before someone helped her up onto the stage. "We are in high spirits that you had the time to stop by for a song or two." The bar owner said, handing her over the microphone.

"Nonsense. It is people like you and everyone else here that makes my dream as a singer come true. The least I can is return the favour." Caroline said, gratefully. "Please sit back and enjoy the performance."

Everyone highly praised her as she curtsied and disappeared behind the curtains. She took a deep breath before walking to her dressing room. There she found her long, satin, floor-length, peach-pink, v-neck sleeveless dress with a matching lace overskirt hanging up on the top of the vanity. She removed her hair flower accessory from her head and tugged off her black hand gloves while she made her way to the vanity, sitting down in front of it. She looked at her reflection. No one knew of her real identity. In this form, she was young, black-haired, fair-skinned, admired and mysterious singer who had been recently discovered in Hollywood and is now expanding her escalating career. But in reality, she was a blonde, blue-eyed eight hundred and eighty-seven vampire who was keeping her life on the down-low by frequently moving around the country but yet was brave enough to express herself as a singer with a secret double life.

Caroline picked at the flyaway black hairs around the top of her head and tucked them back into place. Tonight she had curled her hair away from her face and into a low enough bun that it rested against the back of her neck. Ever since she became known to the world, she made sure she looked different to Caroline Forbes, the vampire, and into Carolyn Foster, the human singer. And so, she dyed her hair black and wore blood-red lipstick everywhere she went in public. Caroline reapplied a new layer of red lipstick, smoothed over her fair and flawless skin before stepping out of her black dress and slipping on the pink dress and zipped the zipper up in the back. She pulled on a pair of white heels, white hand gloves, and a little white, lopsided veiled hat. Before she could escape through the fire exit door, she made her way to the stage. Caroline found the bar owner behind the curtains, waiting for her, and told him that she was ready. He smiled, winked at her and told her to break a leg before he disappeared, slipping through the curtain.

"Can I have your attention please?" He announced to the crowd, who cheered and applauded. "For the moment that we've all been waiting for, please welcome back Miss Carolyn Foster!"

Suddenly, the curtains parted, the spotlight shined down at her as the owner handed her the microphone, the band began to play the song, _"Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)" by: Billie Holliday_, and everyone was as silent enough to hear a pin drop. There was not a sound until her performance was over. She curtsied and smiled blindingly down at them, although she couldn't detect their faces, many people stood up but everyone applauded their appreciation as the curtains closed in front of her. Little did she know that at the back of the crowd, behind the standing ovation, were a small group of men in one of the booths, dressed in dark, expensive suits and matching fedoras that covered most of their faces.

"She's really something, isn't she?" One of the hunters asked his employer.

The boss nodded. "I can assure you that she's more then just something."

"So, what is that you're asking me?"

"I need you to do something for me, but I can't exactly do it in person. That's why I hired you for a reasonable price, I'm sure. But if there is one hair on her head that harmed during the process, I will hunt you down and kill you for it. Understood?"

The nervous hunter nodded as beads of sweat slid down his face. "Y-Yes, sir."

"Good thing we're on the same page. You will receive your payment once I have her in custody and in my possession."

"But sir, you've offered to pay me five thousand dollars."

"Yes? And you dare to request more from me?"

The hunter's eyes widened. "N-No, sir. O-Of course not."

"Then, what of it?" The boss said, impatiently.

"W-Well I can't help but acknowledge my curiosity. May I ask why you have paid me so much just for me to take the girl and hand her over to you?"

"I heard good things of you from my other employees. I had to get in contact with the best of the best if I were to have my planned executed perfectly and promptly."

The hunter smiled, appreciatively with obvious bewilderment. "T-Thank you, sir."

"However, if you must know, she and I have a past and it's about time I make myself known to her again. We have been separated for long enough and I've grown most impatient. For a future reference on your behalf, here's a tip for you, you are aware of the saying, 'curiosity killed the cat'? Well, you may want to watch your tongue before you pry into another's rather personal business."

"Y-Yes, sir. I apologize and thank you for the advice. I will most definitely take it into consideration."

"It must happen tonight, hunter. If you fail or if you harm her in any way, I will have your head. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

"Sir, who?"

"S-Sir Mikaelson."

He smiled. "Much better, now get to it. Tick, tock." Mr. Mikaelson taunted, gesturing at the man to go with his hands as he finished the rest of his Bourbon, watching his hunter flee and disappear into the crowd. He looked onto the stage where the bar owner was

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

_Although the fruit punch and the tall glass it was in that shattered at her feet, Caroline didn't bend down to clean it up. Her wide eyes were lost and glued to Elijah Mikaelson's dark depths. She also remained silent, unable to find the words to say to him. And so, she waited for he to speak first. He was sitting underneath the shadows at the table, toying with something on the table. "My apologies, I would have waited until you had returned, but arriving to this particular dwelling was based off of a pure speculation. I was not certain that you were living with the Salvatore brothers. But then again, if there was any residence in this forsaken town you would hide away in, it would this one."_

_Caroline looked away, choosing to look down at the tiled floors in front of her instead._

_"Come now, Caroline. You must have something to say to me. We have not seen each other for a few decades now, have we not?"_

_She barely nodded. "Correct."_

_He stood up in his chair and walked towards her. "And I have rendered you speechless? This is indeed a first. If I remember correctly, you could never be silent for more then a minute."_

_"I have changed since then, Elijah." She muttered, avoiding his eyes._

_"Obviously, I never thought you would switch companions from Katerina to the Salvatore brothers. I must admit that I am not impressed, considering that you spent the last months of your human existence with my family."_

_"That was a long time ago. I do not remember my human life after your family destroyed everything in it."_

_"I would not put the entire blame on us. Last time I remembered, you were willingly eager to be turned into a vampire by my brother."_

_"It was a mistake I have been paying for every day of my nine-hundred existence. You do not need to remind me, Elijah. I predominantly remember that moment awfully vividly."_

_"Speaking of my brother, I can confess that rest assured he has not made an appearance to me. Not yet, at least." He said._

_"You mean to say he's not accompanying you."_

_"I thought I have told you this before, Caroline. I have not spoken nor seen him since I have last seen you. I have no reason to lie to you."_

_"But you do. I am the reason why your brotherhood was destroyed in the first place. I helped Katerina escape you all those centuries ago and look where I am."_

_"Caroline, I will not pity you. You have brought this upon yourself many lifetimes ago."_

_"I'm aware of that, Elijah. Thank you. I do not need or ask for you pity."_

_"There's no need to be hostile with me. I just wanted to stop by and inform you that you will not be harmed by hands. I wish to make a deal with the lovely Elena tomorrow she cannot refuse. Do not take my attendance in Mystic Falls as a threat to you or anyone else in this town."_

_"You know, I find that hard to believe due to the fact that every member of the Mikaelson family have an immense tendency to be a danger to everything the touch and a threat to everyone they come across."_

_"Watch your tongue, Caroline."_

_"Or what? You'll remove it from my mouth? I thought you were declaring peace. My mistake."_

_"Never forget the fact that you owe me your life, Caroline. I saved you from the grasp of Niklaus, almost killing you to the point of your brink of death. But I went out of my way, crossing my brother in the process, and freed you from your long-awaited death sentence. Perhaps I should hand you over to him to draw him out of the shadows."_

_"Don't you dare threaten me! Niklaus has had time to either heal his wounds or time to feed his need for revenge on me. If I were ever given to Niklaus, he would be even more torturous then before. He would make sure it lasted at least a month before he would stab a stake into my heart."_

_"Then, let's make sure that doesn't happen. As long as you keep Elena out of harms way, then consider your life and dept spared."_

_"Are you bargaining with me? What if I don't do as you say? Will you kill me then or hand me over to your psychotic brother?"_

_"Remove that homicidal notion from your head and understand this: if you value your life and everyone you've grown to care about here, then protect Elena."_

_"I have been and I always will. I will not let him use her as he almost did for Katerina. And this time, mark my words, Elena Gilbert is worth my entire allegiance and protection."_

_"Good thing we are on the same page. I would hate to accept the fact if we did not see eye-to-eye, Caroline."_

The following morning, Caroline finished braiding her damp hair out of her face, looking into her bathroom mirror as she reminisced over last night's events. And for the first time ever, she truly believed that Elijah Mikaelson had grown fed up with her existence last night and arrived at the Salvatore's house to kill her. Either that or to hand her over to Klaus. Either way, it wouldn't have ended well for her. To her surprise, he came here to bargain an agreement with her, which she clearly accepted with open arms. She decided to skip the idea of telling Damon or Stefan, who happened to be locked up in the tomb with Katherine because of a brash and reckless act on Jeremy Gilbert's part. By yesterday's events, being away from Mystic Fall for not even a day, and she missed everything that occurred here.

But luckily, Damon explained everything to her last night an hour or two after Elijah left and after he came from Elena's. Apparently, Stefan and Damon tried to negotiate a way to spare Elena's life and went to ask Katherine to hand over the moonstone. Unfortunately, but to be expected, she was no help and so they went to the witch. They managed to get the moonstone with some sort of spell, but with the cost of Stefan's freedom, which now he's stuck in the tomb with he's ex-lover. Rose hadn't returned from her little escape stunt when Elijah supposedly 'saved' them from those vampires who were going to take Elena away, and to be honest, Caroline would have fled if she wasn't frozen in fear and shock.

When Caroline ran downstairs, she found the house to be empty... again. But this time, she didn't expect someone to be home. Stefan was physically unable to go anywhere, Rose was gone, and Damon was out trying to get everything under there usual and somewhat normal state. She pulled out her phone to text Damon his whereabouts but as she was about to, her phone hummed with Alison's number across the screen.

_Hey Caroline, tonight's a full moon and lately, I've been helping Tyler out getting ready for his first transformation. Before, he kept on asking about his uncle Mason and after a while, he stopped talking about it. But until today, he mentioned a girl named Jules stopping by their house this morning saying that Mason isn't in Florida like Carol Lockwood and Tyler were told. I don't know what to do. I don't want to lie to him anymore._

Caroline inhaled a deep breath of air before responding to the message.

_It's okay, calm down. We'll deal with it. In my opinion, I would stay away from him. Especially tonight. But he's your friend and he could use one for tonight. Just don't end up getting yourself killed. Stay as long as you can beside him, but once he becomes a threat to you during his transformation, run. And about the girl, I'll deal with her._

She grabbed her car keys and walked out to her car. On her way to the Grill, her cell phone rang with Damon's name. "Hey." She said after she pressed the 'talk' button.

"Meet me at the Grill. Alaric just called me to tell me about some girl-"

"I'm on my way. Alison told me about her already. She hadn't been here for a day and she's already causing problems for us."

"That's a typical day in this little town."

"Clearly. I'll see you in a bit."

After Caroline arrived, Damon and Alaric were already sitting at a booth with their eyes discreetly watching some blonde girl, assumingly this woman was Jules and wreaking havoc, talk to Matt as he cleaned up after a table. "That must be Mason's mystery." Damon said after she sat down.

"Where is Mason anyway?" Alaric asked.

"Decomposing in his truck." Damon answered, haughtily.

"She's pretty cute," Caroline observed, "for a werewolf."

Alaric shook his head. "There's no proof that she is one."

Caroline looked at him. "And there's no proof that she isn't."

"Well, let's hope not, being that it's a full moon. But we should definitely find out." Damon pulled out a little plastic bag with a minced herb inside.

"And what is that?" Alaric said, already knowing the answer.

A devious, 'up-to-no-good', trademark grin slowly spread across Damon's lips as he said, "Wolfsbane."

Caroline watched the two boys walk to the bar to sit on either side of Jules while Caroline's eyes scanned the abnormally small crowd within the Grill and an idea suddenly popped into her head. And then a devious grin for herself had slowly extended across her own lips. She watched and listened into their conversation across the Grill, Alaric was pretending to be the town drunk, Damon distracted her pretended to be the nice guy with a conversation as the vampire hunter spiked her drink with the wolfsbane and left. Alaric returned to the booth with Caroline while Damon stayed at the bar and engaged in a deeper conversation with Jules.

"I'm just here for the night. It's a long story, I'm actually looking for my friend." She said.

"Who?" Damon asked, sweetly. "I might know and point you in the right direction."

"Mason Lockwood."

"I know Mason."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yeah, he's a great guy. I've only known him for a short while, though."

"He's missing. And I'm trying to track him down."

"Really?" Damon said, his tone sounded genuinely shocked. "Well, if I ever hear anything, I'll let you know."

"I've already informed the Mayor of this town this morning, Mason hadn't returned home to Florida since he visited here and now he's missing."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She looks down at her untouched drink and Damon's disappointed eyes searched for Alaric's before he returned his gaze to Jules. Caroline mumbled something to Alaric and got to walk around the bar. "You know," Damon started again, "I'm really tight with the sheriff. If there's anything I can do to help locate Mason's whereabouts, I will. He's a great guy and after his brother's funeral, he stuck around to help his nephew..."

"Tyler?" Jules asked, intrigued.

"Yep, Mason was by his side the whole time, helped him grieve for the death of a family member." Damon looked down at her drink and smiled up at her. "You haven't touched your drink."

She looks down at it. "You know, I'm not much of a drinker. I should get going."

"Oh, come on. Look, one drink." Damon urged, convincingly.

Jules hesitantly raised her glass. "It'll help me sleep."

"To sleep." He toasted with a clink of their glasses together, raising his glass to his lips and watching her, hopefully and expectantly. Just as the glass was about to touch her lips, she sniffed the substance and slammed the glass onto the counter of the bar. Damon looks over at Alaric, disappointedly again. "You fool," Jules muttered. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

"What do you want with Mason?" Damon asked with his normal, demanding tone again.

"He's my friend."

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that you probably won't find him."

"And why not?"

"You should leave town." He avoided the question.

She appeared taken aback. "You're threatening me? And on a full moon, how stupid are you?"

Without anyone really noticing, Alaric returned to the bar with his charade. "How about a second round?

"We're done, Ric." Damon said, before turning to Jules. "You think I'm afraid of you?"

"No, I don't." Jules responded, evenly. "That's your vampire arrogance. You should be, though. I sniffed you out the moment you entered this bar, along with your pathetic scheme and wolfsbane. I've been at this a long time and any other night of the night, the situation would be reversed. But tonight, is not a night to pick a fight with me." She stands up from her stool. "You've been marked."

Just as she turned around, Caroline stood behind her with her fangs exposed for everyone to see, the whites in her eyes clouded with red and bluish-purple veins probing down towards her cheekbones. "Correction," Caroline hissed, "you've been bitten." And that was when Caroline used her vampire speed to grab the werewolf by her neck and sunk her teeth into the girl.

Both of the boys' eyes widen in shock at the disclosure of Caroline's attack, which caused him to reach out and squeeze her shoulder. "Caroline! What're you doing? They're people still in here!" Damon seethed.

Caroline ripped her fangs out from Jules's neck with blood dripping down her chin and dropped the body to the floor. "I've compelled everyone in this bar. They won't remember anything that happened tonight."

"What if some of them were on vervain?" Alaric asked, panicked,

She looked over her shoulder at him and shrugged. "I guess I would have had to resort to killing them. It's their skin against ours." Caroline crouched down to the injured werewolf, who's bite mark was gradually healing with her hand clasped around it and her teeth growling up at Caroline. "Now, I admit that was definitely not the smartest move, as you said especially on this time of the month, but honestly? Did you really think you could just waltz into this town, cause problems for us and then you get free ticket out of here? That's not how it works with me. I've been at this for even a longer time then you, and trust me, you do _not_ want to pick a fight with me at any time of the month. If don't leave this town tonight, the next time I see, I will most definitely take the pleasure in killing you. Possibly ripping out your like we did to Mason. Now _leave_ this place, because unlike Mason, he never got the warning or the chance to leave town before we killed him. Do we understand each other, sweet pea?" Caroline said, cheekily.

She didn't wait for the wolf's response, Caroline stood up and walked out of the Grill as everyone around them paid no attention to what just happened. Damon and Alaric looked at each other and quickly followed after Caroline.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Damon asked, disbelievingly.

"No, I haven't. I don't like to be threaten, especially by that trash."

"Look, I know it's in our blood and instincts to hate them, but I never thought you'd resort to this, Caroline."

"Damon, I never took you for the reprimanding type. Clearly I was wrong. But it doesn't. What's done is done. And now she's after me, which is exactly where I want her."

Alaric looked up at the pale full moon high in the sky. "If this werewolf stuff is true, one bite and you're both dead. Don't risk it. Just both of you go home, lock your doors and we'll deal with it in the morning."

Damon nodded his head in agreement, but Caroline knew the consequences. She was aware of them before she put her thoughts into actions. She took for the team, even though it may cost her very existence.

_**Flashback (Manhattan, New York - 1945)**_

When the night had ended, she helped a few drunken men to a taxi cab to drive them to their homes safely. After her second performance of the night, these men, who were already on the path to intoxication, each insisted on buying her a drink with them. Although she consumed the same amount of alcohol as they did, she could talk and walk as normal as a sober human. But she couldn't say the same thing about the three or four men who were stumbling and mumbling their way out of the bar. After putting the men into their taxi cab ride home, she hugged her fur coat closer to her body and walked her way home to her apartment home, enjoying every minute of her walk home despite the cold winter weather and the long distance away from her destination. It was one in morning and even though the craziness of this expanding city, Caroline truly believed that she wouldn't be any trouble. But she was very wrong.

Barely a ten minutes later from leaving the bar, she could tell someone was trailing behind her. But as always, they never make themselves known to their prey until the prey is least expecting it. She would know. She was naturally a predator every minute of every day of her existence. But yet this was unexpected and bizarre, even though she's been a wanted fugitive in the vampire world for as long as she could remember.

Out of nowhere, she stopped walking and looked over her shoulder to find three men slowly trailing behind her, stalking her with distance in between them. Normally, she would feel confident and just run away from it. But something was different and she didn't know what. That's what scared her the most. Suddenly, the footsteps behind her stopped and she could hear the click of a cocking pistol before it would be shot. She spun around and ran towards them using her vampire speed, but was stopped halfway to them when the shot connected directly to her stomach. It was a wooden bullet, meaning these were skilled vampire hunters and were here to kill her. Surprisingly, they didn't approach her to collect after she fell to the cement ground as her blood poured out of her open and worsening wound. The hunters looked utterly horrified that they shot at her and it hit her, as if it was unintentional for them to actually shoot her.

"Damn it," one of them cursed while he removed his fedora and ran his fingers through this hair, "he's gonna kill us, you do realize that, right? We're all dead men."

"Shut up!" The shooter shouted, beads of sweat pouring down his face and his hand that held the pistol shook uncontrollably. "I know! I only meant to scare the hell outta her! I didn't think I'd actually hit her.

"What the hell are we suppose to do now?" The third man asked. "I can't die, I have a wife and kid at home waiting for me to return!"

"I guess we should just take her, remove the bullet, stitch her up and hand her over to him. The ransom he's paying us is way too much to pass up on. But more importantly, he'll kill us all if she's injured. He said so himself."

While the three men marched towards Caroline, a rustling noise suddenly came to her decreasing hearing. If she knew any better, she heard a gut-wrenching sound of three hearts being forceful removed from their hearts. And for a second, she thought she was next. But the man who killed the hunters walked to her, crouched down on the balls of their feet and tucked a black curl of her hair out of her face and behind her ear.

"What a mess, Caroline." A very familiar voice whispered to her. "It's a good thing I was in the neighbourhood tonight."

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

On her way to the Salvatore's, Caroline tried to remove what was most left of Jules's blood on her lips and chin. She now remembered how much she hated werewolf blood. It was bitter grapefruit juice, the kind of taste that lingers on your tongue hours after it had been consumed. And nothing could get rid of it, no matter how much she tried to swallow it away. Her next mission was to mask this taste with her favourite, B positive. But more importantly, a proud and hostile werewolf was most definitely still somewhere in Mystic Falls, regardless of Caroline's demand for her to leave beforehand, and there was an even greater likelihood that Jules was trailing her as she took her time reaching the Salvatore's home. When she stepped inside, Damon had already beat her too it while she went downstairs into the basement to get a blood bag. And to her surprise, Rose had already been waiting for him to come home, who was explaining herself to why she ran when she did.

_"Just admit it," _Damon urged. _"You don't have anywhere else to go."_

_"I'm sorry about Elena. I wasn't thinking straight and Caroline and I didn't know that she had a death wish. But I called you and tried to make it right, okay? I'm sorry Damon." Rose said. "And I have nowhere else to go."_

_"There's nothing here for you, Rose."_

_"Actually, yes, Damon. Yes there is."_

_"What do you-?"_

Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking interrupted their conversation. Caroline ran upstairs, joins them in on their search as they rush to the living room to find a wolf growling on all fours, ready to pounce. Damon quickly grabs an antique sword from it's collection on the wall just as the wolf looked at Caroline and jumped on her.

"Caroline, look out!" Rose yelled, pushing Caroline out of the wolf's line of fire, knocking Rose to the ground and biting into her shoulder. Rose screams out in pain while Damon stabs the wolf into its stomach with the sword and the wolf flees out of the window it came in.

Caroline drops to her knees and Damon kneels down to her side. "How bad is it?"

"It hurts." Rose said, looking at her bleeding bite mark.

Damon's eyes widen as the bite begins to heal. "It's healing." He states, astonishingly.

"Oh my God, I thought a werewolf bite was fatal and I thought that I would..."

Rose couldn't finish her sentence, sobbing into Damon's embrace, comforting her as he looked over at Caroline, who had her knees curled up to chest and she was rocking uncontrollably back and forth.

"You're gonna be okay." Damon hushed.

An unexpected vibration came from Caroline's phone. She reached into her jean pocket and pulled it out to see a received text message from an unidentified person in her contact list.

_If I had known you were on a suicide mission tonight, love, I would have made my appearance sooner than I initially planned. If you wanted to throw my life away in high expectations to catch my attention, then have no doubt that my attention is most definitely seized. Be careful for what you wish for, my dear. I will seeing you shortly._

_Forever yours, Niklaus_

_**Flashback (Manhattan, New York - 1945)**_

With hesitation, Caroline gradually opened her eyes to a dark, old and slightly crammed motel room. She also noticed that she wasn't dead or chained up to some torture chamber, but she still feared who could have possibly saved her with perfect and convenient timing. She was laying on top of one of the two single beds, still wearing her bloodied dress and a leather flight jacket sprawled out on top of her. Her black hair was half falling out of it's simple up-do and her makeup was most likely to be smudged.

"Hello Caroline." That voice called from the darkness. "How are you feeling?"

She followed the voice into the dark corner of the room. "Who goes? Why have you brought me here?"

The man walked out of the dark, removing his fedora that clouded his facial features and identity. "Forgive me, Caroline. But you could have almost fallen into Niklaus's grasp again, and I would not let that happen in front of me."

Her eyes widen at her rescuer, the last person she ever expected to save her. "Elijah."

He smiled down at her. "" It's been a long time."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**live2write123: hey everyone! i really hope you all enjoy this chapter even though it's not very 'let's go Klaroline!', but always remember that i put this story as a Klaus and Caroline story _for a reason_, meaning they are bound to end up together sometime during the story. just not right now, at this particular moment :P. what can i say? i don't know about you, but when Klaus FIRST came onto the show, i did not like him at all because he killed Jenna and i really liked her. and i couldn't understand how a character from the very first episode of the series could be there one episode and not the next. soo... i'm not gonna speak for everyone but i bet for the majority of The Vampire Diaries fans did not like Klaus at all in the very beginning. well, neither does Caroline in this story because of all the bad crap he had put her through. and especially after this chapter, Caroline remembers just how much she hates him and why she wants to see him dead. but fear not patient readers! as if i was going to let THAT happen to you and the story ;). i'm not THAT cruel ;D! ... (i hope not o.O...).**

**ps. this chapter covers The Descent and i must warn you that there is a VERY emotional, heart-to-heart with Rose and Caroline. you will understand they're relationship together, how they went from when Rose was turned into a vampire to 1492 before Katherine came into their lives. i hope it got you to you as much as it got to me while i was writing it. :'(. **

**pss. thank you everyone for the reviews, alerts, favourites, and even the anonymous messages i've been receiving lately. i'm happy to say (i don't know about you) but this story is expanding soo much and i can't wait as much as you can for Klaus to FINALLY arrive! ugh! i will spoiler alert you that he makes a more... personal approach to Caroline. it's no longer letters or text messages BUT they have seen each other face to face. but anyway, please review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy! i openly and completely encourage you're support and feedback! :D**

**Chapter Sixteen: For Once And For All**

_**Flashback (St. Austell, England - 1481)**_

_For what felt like had been forever, Caroline paced the floor in front of her prisoner with her third cup of coffee. She wondered if the girl was ever going to wake up. It had been a week since she caught the starving girl in an alleyway, about to murder an innocent human. Luckily, Caroline just happened to be in neighbourhood, rendering the newborn vampire paralysed, compelled the almost meal to forget, and then dragged the vampire to her home. But now that was she was in the daylight and Caroline could capture her guiltless features, she wondered when and why this girl was turned. And where the hell was the vampire who created her? Caroline couldn't help but feel sorry for the newborn if the vampire who created her just disappeared one day and never returned to her. It was a common legend, the vampire who created a new one would either grow remorse for turning the human, feel it's too big of a responsibility to train the uneducated vampire, or they would simply get bored of the newborn. Either way, Caroline wanted to help her. If she truly wanted it, that is._

_The girl began to stir. It was barely sunrise and Caroline watched the girl from the window, speculating whether she should have chained the vampire to the bed or to a chair, just in case the girl would free herself. But all of her doubts suddenly go away somehow at the sight of the hungry vampire opening her eyes._

_"W-Where am-m I-I?" She stuttered, barely able to move her lips or her body due to the lack of blood in her system._

_"You are in my home." Caroline stated, calmly and incompletely. _

_"An-And who are you?"_

_"My name is Caroline."_

_"What d-do you w-want with m-me?"_

_"Not exactly what I want from you, but rather what you want from me."_

_Before the girl could question her, Caroline brought a mug of deer's blood and poured it in between the girl's lips. She savagely drank it until the last drop, swallowing it contently. "Thank you." She said, breathlessly._

_Caroline smiled. "What is your name?"_

_"My name is Rose-Marie."_

_"May I call you Rose?"_

_She nodded._

_"Well, Rose. What I want you to do is make the decision if you want my help I am offering or to ignore it and return to your savaging ways. It is up to you, although I would like to mention that if you do continue your hunting ways, you may end up dead."_

_Rose's eyes widened at the last word Caroline spoke of. "N-No! I do not want to die!"_

_Caroline's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Then, I believe your decision has been made. Can you start by telling me what happened to you?" _

_"I barely remember any of it. I do not completely remember why or when or what I was until I felt these urges to kill the next human I laid eyes on. I've never felt that way before. The thought of killing someone would repulse me. But now, it sounds thrilling and enchanting." Rose mused. "It was at night, I was up feeding my family's horses and then it happened... every horse was killed and I was the last person standing. I ran home to see what was the matter and everyone in my village was slaughtered. A massacre. I wanted to kill the person who did that to my family and friends. As it turns out, all the murderer wanted to was to catch my attention and a partner in his crimes."_

_"'He'? As in it was a male vampire who did this to you?"_

_"Yes. I am."_

_"What did he look like?" Caroline necessitated, impatiently. "Pray, tell me this instance."_

_"If I recall, he had brown hair, matching eyes, not a day over the age of twenty in human years and he was not that tall in height. But he was swift and ruthless. He did not leave one person alive behind. Except me. He turned me and by sunrise, he was gone. He came and went like the wind, as if he was never there to begin with, as if it was all just a bad dream. But it wasn't. When I woke up, I was burned by the sun. I stayed indoors until nightfall and I had this uncontrollable thirst for the blood I was surrounded in. I unthinkingly began to drain all of the bodies that were killed by that man, even my family's, until my thirst was satisfied. When I realized what I had done, I had to leave and forget it all, no matter how horrified I was by my inconsiderate decision to drain every last one of those humans I had grown to love and grown up with since I was a child. And every since that day, I have been terrorizing villages and burning the villages down to ash after I had drained them."_

_"You could not help yourself, Rose. It is in a vampire's instincts to kill." Caroline confirmed before cupping the trembling girl's shoulder tenderly. "But that does not mean we have to encourage it or let the thirst take over our lives. I know where you have been. My family was murdered under the wrath of vampires and I have not let the thirst control me since that day. And I promise I will do the same for you if you truly want to change. I am not going to say it's going to be easy, it is going to be very hard work. But the aftermath of the hard work, I can assure you, is unquestionably worthwhile."_

_Rose nodded, enthusiastically. "Yes, I want to be under control. I do not want to battle with these urges anymore. Please help me."_

_Caroline smiled. "You're wish my command. I shall help you, in every way I can."_

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Once more, Caroline couldn't sleep. Not for the reason that of a vague and threatening text message she received from _him_ again. Not only because of the fate of Rose's life that hangs in the balance now, but more importantly, the fact that she can't be saved. There is no cure, at least it's not something that anyone can simply bargain for or offer an exchange for. Albeit the fact that she truly knew the only cure to a werewolf bite, but she couldn't request it. It was out of the question. It would make the cure known to the world.

Caroline sat motionless and detached in her bed. She could not see anyone, not when she knows very well what could save Rose from a werewolf bite. If only it was Caroline who was suffering under a werewolf bite again. It would have been that much easier and the guilt would have not been eating from her inside on its way out. But Caroline wasn't the one suffering. And as much as she wished she would be in Rose's place, it wouldn't change anything. This was Caroline's fault and she was willing to die in exchange for her old friend's freedom from this horrible illness.

There was a sudden knock on her door, silencing Rose's irrepressible and constant coughing and mumbling how she had lived long enough downstairs. She didn't jump at the sound nor did she acknowledge it, no matter who it was standing behind that door. But the person slowly opened it anyway, and she still refused to move an inch of her body. "Hey Caroline." A voice said in a hushed tone who turned out to be Stefan, wearing black track pants and a white wife-beater.

"How were you freed from the tomb with Katerina?" She asked, coldly.

"Elijah's witches were able to break the spell, but Elijah compelled Katherine to stay inside even with the barrier broken."

"I'm glad you're out in one piece. I would have hated spending one more day with that wench."

"Me too." Stefan laughed through his nose as he sat at the end of her bed. "Damon told me what happened last night."

"Don't remind me. Seriously. I was there, I know what happened, I saw it with my own eyes and I can't do anything about it."

"I'm guessing you feel really guilty."

"Of course I do! It should have been me, Stefan! That irritable little werewolf was coming after me and now, Rose is collateral damage! An innocent is facing a critical illness without a treatment to cure it and it's all because of me. I picked a fight with a werewolf and look where it has gotten us!"

"Caroline, from what I heard, no one deserves this. You were protecting us, that's all you were doing. That's all you have done since you've been here. If the legend appears to be true, which it seems that way, then we will find a cure. There has to be one. Maybe Bonnie has some kind of herb that can heal her, but don't you dare put the blame on yourself, okay?"

Caroline finally looked at him with unshed tears in her eyes. "It should have been me, Stefan. I wish it was."

"Don't say that." Stefan said, pulling her into his arms. "We'll help her in every way possible, okay? Damon's on his way to the Grill to search for this werewolf named Jules and Elena is going to watch over Rose in his absence. I'm going to ask Alaric how to get in touch with Isobel for some research about Klaus and then, all will be well again, Caroline. I promise."

"She shouldn't have to suffer like this. She's innocent. It should have been me." Caroline muttered, ignoring the plans that everyone was doing today. All she could think about was a five-hundred-year-old vampire downstairs, slowly and painfully losing her mind.

He hushed her and began to rock her body back and forth like an infant, whispering words of reassurance in her ear. And no matter what words were told to her, no matter how many times people tell her 'it's all going to be okay in the end', she knew it wouldn't. It never would. Not after this.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Just keep me busy. Get me out of this house before I go out and find something to surrender into the urge to kill myself."

"Of course. How about shower, get dressed and meet me my room in a half an hour?"

She nodded. "Okay."

Stefan smiled, walking to the door and before he could leave he looked over his shoulder, "Care?" She looked at him after she stood up from her bed. "You're gonna be fine. I can tell."

Caroline faked the most genuine grin she could summon. "Thanks for helping me, Stef. I know we've been kind of distant lately. But I really want to spend the day with you today."

He nodded "Me too." And with that he disappeared behind the door. So did Caroline's false smile off of her face. She walked to her bathroom and showered, longer then she hoped. But this was the only place she could really think for herself. If she really wanted to save Rose, that would mean she would have make a sacrifice with herself. A sacrifice she didn't really want to do. If there had been another way to save her, Caroline would have done it yesterday. But after her shower and getting dressed into a new pair of clothes, she met Stefan in his room and they left together to the Grill.

"So, that's the information Katherine gave you?" Caroline asked on the way after Stefan explained the entire situation and what he had learned from her in the tomb.

"Yeah, she mentioned that Isobel managed to find her, so she thought it could be the same way to find Klaus." Stefan explained.

"And what about Elijah? What does he want from Elena?"

"Well, what she told me is that he'll protect her and everyone she cares about by keeping them alive as long as she follows by his rules and doesn't end up killing herself."

"You mean, Elijah doesn't want to kill her or hand her over to him for the sacrifice?"

"From what I can see, yes. She managed to put all of her trust in him and I suppose I'm willing to accept that..."

"Except," Caroline began after his sentence drifted off, "_you_ didn't make a deal with him, so that's why you're turning to Isobel Saltzman for some answers?"

"Exactly. Elena's just afraid that I will or somebody else will overstep the invisible boundaries with Elijah's agreement."

"But he compelled Katherine to stay in the tomb after he had his witches bring it down for you. Isn't that enough proof of his loyalty?"

Stefan looked over at her, dumbly. "He'll have to do a lot more then that to prove his loyalty, Caroline. And besides, he and Klaus must have had a lot of bad blood between them if Elijah's willing to protect a bunch of unreliable vampires and humans from him."

_You have no idea._ But instead of speaking her words, Caroline nodded. "Presumably."

_**Flashback (Manhattan, New York - 1945)**_

Caroline looked over at Elijah, who had taken a seat in a chair at her bedside, still the thoughts to why he had saved her. "Your silence is most deafening, Caroline. Please, I beg of you to speak your words.

"I just do not understand. Why did you save me from those hunters? And how did you know that it was _him_ who ordered my arrest?"

"Well, I was there tonight. In the crowd during your performance at that bar. I knew Niklaus would reach out to great lengths to have you in his possession again, but he refused to do it face-to-face. He must have wanted to strike fear into your heart, and so I heard him hiring a bunch of vampire hunters with a large payment to capture you unharmed and then to hand you over to him."

"But when they had accidentally injured me during the process, they were terrified to hand me over in my wounded state." Caroline said, understandingly. "However, what I have yet to understand or comprehend is to why _you_, of all people, would save me. I had taken Katerina Petrova from you, destroying the strong bond between you and your brother. I should have never gotten involved with your business and today I most definitely do not deserve your time, Elijah. Or your protection against him Niklaus blamed you for Katerina's escape and rebellion and for that, he refused to associate with you assumingly to this very day. All because of me."

He shook his head in disagreement to her words. "You are wrong, Caroline. The brother bond between Niklaus and myself has _always _been fragile and sceptical. Niklaus had done something to me a very long time ago, before Katerina or even you came along and into our lives. Over the years, he had taken away my family from me, one-by-one. And I refused to be the next. I am like you, I refuse to give Niklaus satisfaction and that is why I have saved you tonight. When I had discovered it was you who saved Katerina from our rage of betrayal, it had taken me centuries to understand that you were not the one who directly turned her into a vampire. I had hunted down Rose-Marie and forced her to confess that it was her blood that Katerina had taken in order to commit suicide with Rose-Marie's vampire blood in her system. After she told me, I let her go as I promised in exchange for an honest declaration. As far as Niklaus knew, he still believed that you were the one to turn Katerina into a vampire to confirm your revolution against him and so, he continued to hunt you down and would not stop until he had you. But I knew you could not do that or let that happen. You were smarter then Rose-Marie at the time. I made it my mission to make sure that you would not be killed under Rose-Marie's carelessness and for Niklaus's satisfaction."

"Then, what now? What will we do now? Niklaus is still in the city, most definitely hunting me down. I have tried everything to avoid confrontation with him. I know he only ordered those hunters to capture me unharmed so that he could torture me when I would have been handed over to him. He wanted to save the suffering for himself."

Elijah reached out and twirled a black curl around his finger. "Well, this little charade does not exactly assist your need to stay in hiding."

Caroline looked down at her destroyed gown. "I am not going to stop living my life just because I am a wanted fugitive in the vampire world. He does not deserve that satisfaction either."

"Clearly, but I would have thought that you would subtly still live your life as a normal person or vampire should. However, pretending to be a new rising singer for the public to know that you exist. Every vampire and every vampire hunter Niklaus would have informed, are lining up to capture you and hand you over to him. He is offering everyone and anyone a great amount of reward wealth for your undamaged arrest."

"I understand that. But if I want to make myself known to the world, then so be it. I will disappear and hide away from him any longer. For once in a very long time since I was still human, I'm freely living as anyone should be given the right to. I understand that remaining hidden from his watchful eye is the only easy way out of his continuous and persistent search. But I cannot live that way anymore. It's rather boring and tiring to live such a life."

"Well, I applaud you for your bravery and noble decisions, Caroline. However you do not have to be alone in this anymore. I will be here to protect you from him. There is no need to be afraid of him or what he has next up his sleeve to capture you. I give you my word."

"And what must I do in return?"

"Continue living your life as you wish and do not, under any circumstances, feel obligated to hand yourself over to him. No matter what great lengths he resorts to, no matter how many lives he takes to lure you out, do not surrender to him, okay? Promise me."

"I promise."

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

By the time they arrived at the Grill, Alaric was already sitting at an empty booth with his cell phone out in front of him and sending a text message to assumingly Damon. Stefan discreetly makes it to the table while Caroline made up some excuse to stay outside, but that didn't stop her from listening every word of their conversation.

_"Sheriff Young. I'm Mason Lockwood's friend from Florida. We talked on the phone earlier."_ The sound of her voice made Caroline's blood boil with anger and the need for revenge.

_"Yes."_ Sheriff Young said. _"You're Jules, right?"_

_"That's me. Is there any news?"_

_"No one's heard from him. I've opened an investigation. As soon as I hear anything, I'll let you know."_

_"Thank you, sheriff."_

Caroline shifted her hearing to the conversation between Stefan and Alaric. _"So, you're doing his dirty work for him now." _Stefan asked, rhetorically speaking.

_"She could know or have a cure for Rose. I couldn't find anything in Isobel's research except that it is indeed fatal._" Alaric explained, evenly.

_"Do you still know of a way to get in touch with Isobel?"_

_"Even if I did, she isn't going to help us."_

_"Katherine said that Isobel knew of Klaus."_

_"So this isn't about Rose anymore, it's about Elena. I have an old number, probably out of service or of no use anymore."_

_"Then there's no harm in giving to me?"_

_"You know you can't trust Isobel, even when it comes to Elena."_

_"I know that. But it doesn't hurt to try."_

Alaric took a minute before sighing and handing over the only number he had left of Isobel. _"Here. It's the last phone number I know of from her. If the number's been disconnected, I can't help you."_

_"Thanks."_ Stefan said, typing the number into his phone and presses 'talk' as Alaric gets up and leaves. Stefan calls the number, waiting for the person on the other line to pick up. Unfortunately, he reaches her answering machine. _"Isobel, it's Stefan Salvatore. I need to speak with you, it's about Elena. Please know that it's important." _He hangs up and sees Damon entering the bar, his eyes looking around until his view ends on Jules and walks towards her with a deadly look in his eyes. Much to Damon's distaste, he is stopped by Stefan. _"What're you doing here?"_

_"Waiting for you. And whatever you're about do to, just know that there are a lot of people around here."_

_"Oh, damn."_ Damon seethed, faking disappointment. _"There goes my plan to rip her spleen through her back."_

_"Listen, I know you're upset about Rose."_

_"Why does everyone think that I'm upset with Rose? I'm fine. Sometimes vampires die."_ Damon interrupted him. _"I'm just gonna have a friendly chat with lady wolf, brother. Ease up."_

Damon approaches the table Jules was eating at and without a doubt, Caroline knew that Stefan would have followed him to the table just in case Damon kept his word. But Stefan walked the opposite way with a sudden phone call, who happened to be Isobel in response to his message.

_"Well, if it isn't the one I meant to kill,"_ Jules mused. _"I'll have to get that right next time."_

_"You won't live to see another full moon."_ He threatened but sat down across from her anyway_. "Unless you tell me how to cure a wolf bite and then I won't kill you."_

_"Promise?"_ She emphasized.

_"Yes."_ Damon vowed, immediately.

She thought about it before she pulled out some money to pay for her meal. _"Bite me."_

Jules stood up only to have her arm caught by Damon's hand. _"I'm not afraid of you."_ She chimed.

_"You should be. Otherwise, you are very, very stupid."_

_"How's your friend?"_ Jules asked, coolly. _"Rose, is that her name? Have the chills started? The unbearable pain?"_

_"If there's a cure, tell me or watch your back."_

_"Did I mention the dementia? It'll eat away at her brain. Soon, she'll be rapid. You want a cure? I'll tell you the only cure that exists: take a stake and drive it through her heart."_

Caroline listened into her footsteps becoming louder and louder as the approached the door of the Grill. The minute Caroline noticed that Damon wasn't following the wolf out of the Grill and she was outside, Caroline quietly walked up behind her, taking a cloth drenched in wolfsbane and wrapping it around Jules mouth from behind to drag her into a nearby alleyway.

"Look what I found. The fearless but very brainless werewolf." Caroline announced after she tossed Jules onto the ground, who was gasping for air and grunting in pain. "Now, did I or did I not tell you to leave town last night before you turned? Because I recall I did, but you didn't. Instead, you thoughtlessly decided to create an even bigger target on your back by coming after one of my friends. Bad move."

"You shouldn't have picked a fight with me last night. I wouldn't have felt obligated to get even with you."

"Oh, but you would have whether or not I attacked you. It's in your werewolf instincts. The need to mark your territory wherever you go. But why wouldn't I picked a fight with you? You came into this town, threatening to expose us by asking everyone about Mason's unknown location. Maybe all outsider werewolves are known for that because that's what Mason did and look where he is now. You know Damon? He's a baby vampire compared to me. And I am not as forgiving as he. And if you are not afraid of him, you should be most definitely afraid of me."

The veins under Caroline's creased through her skin and her fangs popped out of her gums as she grabbed Jules by the throat, shoving her up against the brick wall and stabbing a silver dagger through her heart. "Good thing you can heal quickly, otherwise you would be dead." She looked up at the sun, slightly tingling at her eyes due to the heat and brightness. "As I recall, there's only one full moon of the month and it has already past. So, apart from that one night, the rest of the nights are the nights you should never pick a fight with me. Too bad you already have. Just like your friend, Mason, I warned him to leave town before I did something he would regret. Now, this would be my second warning to you," Caroline forcefully shoved the dagger deeper into her heart, "I wouldn't test my patience and try a third. Because three strikes and you're out. Got it, pumpkin? Otherwise you will answer to me."

Caroline removed the dagger from her heart, dropping Jules's wounded body to the cement floor. She wiped the blood off of the blade by using the back of Jules's jacket before shoving the dagger back into her boot and walking away, leaving Jules to get up and heal on her own time. Caroline didn't look back, just ahead and only hoped that she avenged a tad of Rose's prolonged death.

_**Flashback (St. Austell, England - 1481)**_

Six months had past since Rose agreed to let Caroline help her. Apparently, she was barely six months of age as a vampire when Caroline captured her and from the time she was turned until the time Caroline found her, she had been a careless, undisciplined and naive murderer. She helped her control her urges and emotions before they started hunting together, drinking human blood in a humane way and learning how to stop draining the blood before the human was dead. For the past month, Caroline began teaching her new apprentice how to defend herself against possible older vampires or vampire hunters. On this particular autumn evening just after the sun had set, she was moving onto teaching her archery. Caroline's personal favourite hunting skill.

"Good stance, Rose. Even better positioning the arrow. Now, aim your arrow for the target and let of it once you feel ready to release." Caroline instructed, pacing calmly back and forth behind Rose while she aimed her arrow at the bale of hay that had a painted target on it. She had tried at least nine times before, literally all nine arrows had hit everything but the bull's eye. Nevertheless Caroline encouraged her persistence to never give up and to never stop trying until she got it right. Persistence is well paid off if anyone wanted it that badly and if it was worth it in the end.

Rose slowly breathed out the air held in her chest and released the arrow. When it finally hit the bale of hay, it hit the mark directly at the bull's eye with much help with her enhanced eyesight to see through the darkening surroundings. She looked astonished and proud that she finally hit the mark. She looked at Caroline, beaming from ear to ear. Caroline simply nodded, approvingly before looking out at the setting sun. "Great improvement, Rose. But that's enough for today. How about you go inside and get ready for tonight's hunt?"

Rose nodded, enthusiastically. "Okay!"

She watched the overjoyed girl retreat back to their little cottage on a hill. Caroline looked down at the bow and arrow that Rose had dropped and abandoned. She bent down and picked it up, slowly pulling the arrow into the string and raised her bow horizontally to the target. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, envisioning _his_ face before releasing her arrow as she blindly shot it at the target. When the arrow had freed from her grasp, she reopened her eyes to see that it had replaced and split directly down the middle of Rose's arrow on the bull's eye. Caroline lowered the bow, gripping it in her hand tighter then she thought until it easily snapped in half like a twig. She angrily thought of him and how _he_ took away her family from her. It was unforgivable. And someway or another, she would have her revenge. If it was the last thing she did.

Every time she held a bow and arrow, it reminded her of her late father. He was a fearlessly devoted warrior at the village she grew up in. But more importantly, he was her only father. The only one that was always on her side of an argument whenever she was caught in a disagreement with her mother, even when Caroline knew she was wrong. But everything changed for the better and for the worse when the three new settlers had arrived in her villages. The only settlers that ever visited and stayed in her village.

Everything changed when she became emotionally attached to one of the settlers, even against her family's wishes for her to take partnership in an arranged marriage with some unfamiliar warrior who has a high status. But she rebelled against everyone, betrayed and disgraced her family's name and fell deeply in love with the settler, an unaccepted outsider. At some point, she thought she knew everything there was to know about him. And when he told her the truth about what he is, she didn't run. It didn't change anything or how she felt about him. In fact, instead she wanted to be just like him. She was willing to leave this life behind, forget everyone and everything and start anew with him. At first, he refused because he didn't want that life for her. And in the beginning of her transition, she understood why he was reluctant to turn her. But when he finally did, she hoped it was out of love for her and the need to be with her forever. It was barely a month later when everything turned for the worst.

For as long as she could remember, her village had always been a peaceful village. Although they had warriors willing to protect their village if there ever was an attack, there never was. Until now. During the night, her village was burned to the ground with humans still trapped inside. She was a new vampire and the smell of blood was too overwhelming for her to handle. As she held her dying father and mother in her arms, crying to the Lord above to forgive her for her sins and to save them with the little lives they have left, she watched her outsider leave with his two companions. She saw fear in his fearless eyes and regret on his expressionless features for the first time. Through the flames of the inferno, she was dead-set on her dying as a demon with her family, for she had betrayed everything that she was as an individual. All for her selfish love for a man that betrayed her. He did not beg her to leave with him during the inferno. He did not feel the need to convince her to leave her family behind. He turned his back without trying to find her after that. He just left, as if he was never there to begin with.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

During the rest of the day, Caroline kept herself busy and refused to return to the Salvatore's because that would mean she would have hear and see Rose's worsening state. But now that it was night and the darkness had a moonless sky, Caroline knew she had to return. On the way, she could think a large number of 'what-ifs' and 'if onlys'. What if Caroline never parted with Rose in 1492 after Katerina had killed herself with vampire blood in her system? Would they still be running fugitives and friends to this very day if she decided to leave Katerina behind to rot? What if Caroline wasn't desperate or fuelled on to sought out for revenge due to Niklaus's destruction? Would she be living the carefree and secure life she had always dreamed of without the constant need to look over her shoulder or the incessant obligation to carry a weapon everywhere she went? What if she had the bravery and the confidence to respond to Niklaus's current messages? Would she have the nerve to plead for the cure from him? If only she could do such a noble and gallant task. Caroline knew she would regret if she never tried. For Rose's sake, it was worth a shot.

With unsteady hands, Caroline pulled out her cell phone and looked at the text message she had ignored yesterday. She clicked onto the text, read it over, took a deep breath of air and began to respond. _I need your help. Can you get back to me as soon as possible? It's very important._

Caroline counted down from three and pressed 'send' before she would erase the message and the sacrifice she was making. her heart fluttered nervously after her phone buzzed with a received text message. _What a surprise. I thought you were going to ignore me forever, my dear. Now, how can I be of service to you?_

She sighed a shaky breath of air and respond. _I need the cure to a werewolf bite._

Barely a minute later, her phone vibrated again. _Why? Have you been bitten?_

Caroline thought whether she would have to tell the truth or lie and say she was bitten, due to the possible worry in the message. She decided the first option since it seemed to be the better option. If he managed to find her location in Mystic Falls and the residence she's been staying in, he was bound to find out the truth somehow. _No. It is a long time friend, but she was bitten because of me._

He responded with: _I see that you still carry that horrible emotion called guilt around with you. It's a heavy weight to carry on your shoulders, isn't it? Why don't you just turn it off? I can assure you, you will feel much uplifted._

Caroline angrily and impatiently sighed. _Can you or can't you give me the cure? I did not and would not reach out to you if I had another way to heal my friend. But I don't and I'm aware that I'm risking everything by asking you. But I wouldn't be able to move on if I never tried._

She walked through the door of the Salvatore house as he messaged her back. Much to her disgust, but what to be expected, he sent her a message: _And what will YOU offer to me in return of the cure?_

She shook her head. _I knew it was too good to be true. Thanks for nothing._

_Now, Caroline. There's no need to be contemptuous with me. When have I ever given you or anyone anything without something in return? From my eyes, that seems fair. I scratch your back, you scratch mine? If this friend of yours is truly worth it, then what will you give me in return?_

Caroline gritted her teeth. _Anything. I will owe you anything you request._

_Anything? That's a very vague response, Caroline. You are willing to sacrifice anything, let's say your freedom, all for to cure this friend of yours?_

She didn't need to think about it. She already knew the answer. _Of course she is. She deserves my sacrifice and so much more then just that. She deserves my life in exchange for her dying one._

_My greatest apologies, Caroline. But only those who are worthy to ME are worthy of the cure to a werewolf bite. And unfortunately for your friend, his or her dying existence is the least of a concern for me. I'm sorry._

Her hands began to shake again, but with anger instead of fear this time. _Fine. But do not expect me to be here, let alone grateful, whenever you finally do arrive to Mystic Falls to collect the doppelganger. Who is to say that I will indeed turn her beforehand? Just as I turned Katerina Petrova before you seized the chance to drain her life for your personal gain. I will always hate you, Niklaus. Nothing could ever change that now._

It took a minute or two for her to receive his response due to the lengthy message while she walked up to her bedroom. _Caroline, allow me to remind you that it is only a matter of days before I make myself known in Mystic Falls. And when I do, you will be the first to see me. That I can promise. And if you decide to leave at last minute, I will follow until the end of world and drag you back here. I have been waiting a very long time for this day, and all I warn you is to not get in between my business again. I cannot promise your life will be spared in the end if you do. You have stopped me before, yes, but I will not let you do that again because this time, I know for a fact that the doppelganger bloodline ends with Elena Gilbert and if she dies or turns into a vampire, she is no longer of use to me. And I will never be able to break my mother's curse. You will stay away, Caroline. I do not wish to resort to cutting you down if you decide to protect that doppelganger over your own life again. Whoever stands in my way, will die instantly. Do not think that you are any different._

Caroline snorted through her nose. _Of course not. Why would I think I am any different to your enemies? I have been your enemy for as long as I could remember. I would not and do not expect any special treatment from you._

Before she could turn off her phone to prevent another uncertain text message from him, he beat her too it. _You and I both know very well why you are different to the rest of my enemies, Caroline. I have never been in love with any of them. But I will not take what has happened in the past into consideration for special treatment. However I ask you not to seek out a death wish anymore. It's rather infuriating to know that you continue to try and get yourself killed. And besides, I will not let suicide be too kind. If you truly wish to die, the least you could do is wait for me to carry it out for you. Until next time, my love, I bid you farewell. Sweet dreams._

She didn't doubt his words, but she didn't want test him any longer so she put her phone down on her bed and fell back onto the mattress. _When did everything get so damn complicated? _She asked herself, trying to ignore the cries and coughs of Rose dying. After she tossed her body to lay on her side instead of her back, facing the window rather then the door, someone came bursting through it. And there was only one person in this house who felt obligated and had the nerve to walk into any room at any given time he wanted to, regardless of which house it was.

"Leave me alone, Damon." Caroline muttered without looking over her shoulder to confirm it was him. Even if she did, his eyes would be blazing with either rage, impatience, or both.

"No. Not until you properly say your goodbyes to Rose." He demanded, unyielding.

"Can you pass on my deepest farewells to her. I prefer not to face her dying state."

"Don't make me drag you out of this room, Caroline."

"You're not strong enough."

"Then, I'll die trying. Or are you willing to let another friend die because of you?"

"That's fair."

"It sounds pretty damn fair to me. How could ignore her all day? While you were busy making our situation worse then already is with Jules today, she was here, dying because you picked a fight a werewolf on a full moon. And you don't even have the decency or respect to bid your goodbyes?"

Before Caroline could swallow down her swelling and increasing anger in a desperate attempt to calm herself or ignore it, she jumped out of her bed in lightening speed, ripped her bedside lamp out of the wall and through it at him. But he easily avoided her attack, ducking last minute and letting the glass lamp shatter against the wall behind him.

"You owe me a lamp." He muttered.

"Shut up! I know what I've done, okay? What do want me to say? That I feel guilty? That I wish it was me? Well of course I do for both. I met Rose when she was a new vampire, discarded by her creator and everyone she knew as a human had been killed beforehand. She never understood how to control her bloodlust because nobody taught her how, but I did because I wanted to. More then anything, I knew she could be something great in the world if she really tried But then I ruined everything by trusting a selfish, manipulative, backstabbing, deceitful doppelganger and giving Katerina unreasonable guidance, leaving Rose and Trevor behind. Just as she was abandoned by everything else in her world. And for over five-hundred-years, she's been running from our enemies because of_my _selfish mistakes and irrational decisions that I had made with Katerina. And now, she's dying because of me. Because of another selfish mistake and irrational decision. I can't see her, Damon. I can't say goodbye. She wouldn't want to see me after I've done to her."

"That's funny." Damon said, although humourlessly. "Because Elena told me that she's been asking for you all day."

Her eyes widened with disbelief. "She-She has?"

He nodded before he opened the bedroom door for her and waited for her to leave so that Damon could follow her out.

Caroline took a deep breath while he pushed his bedroom door open for her before following her inside. Rose was as pale as the white bed sheets, her short 'pixie-like' hair was drenched with sweat, her hooded eyes had dark purple circles around them and she could barely visibly stay awake. As soon as Caroline entered the room, Rose slowly turned her head in her direction and smiled weakly up at her. "Caroline." She whispered.

The tears broke free of her will to hold them back any longer and Caroline rushed to Rose's side, holding one of her frail and colder then usual hands in between both of Caroline's. "I was wondering when I would see you again." Rose said in a tone that humans wouldn't be able to hear after Damon had left them alone.

"I'm sorry." Caroline said, truthfully. "I couldn't see you like this, not after the centuries of failure and disappointment you had unfairly received from me."

Rose gestured for Caroline to climb into bed beside her, which Caroline gladly accepted. Caroline rested her back against the headboard of Damon's bed while Rose rested her head in Caroline's lap with a pillow comfortably positioned on her lap. "You're wrong, Caroline. You have taught and mentored me more then any one could ever ask for. I was grateful to have met you, especially at my murderous state." Rose murmured.

"But I abandoned you and chose to shelter some useless trouble maker over you. I sent the Mikaelson brothers off of my back and just passed it onto yours. You have been running from them because of me while I had been hiding from them this entire time."

"Nobody is perfect. I must confess that I did indeed feel betrayed by you, at first. But it took me a few decades to understand before Katerina and Trevor ever came into our lives, it was just you and I. And without you, I would have never been the vampire I have been for the past five hundred years. Caroline, we spent eleven amazing years of friendship and mentorship together. You turned and gave me Trevor against your wishes because you knew how much I missed my human brother the most out of my entire family's slaughter, even though I had never told a soul about him. I understood that our friendship was not meant forever. I was like a bird, injured and vulnerable and uneducated. But then you came along, nurtured me, healed me, and guided me until no of that was no longer needed in my life. It was as if you were my parent and I was your child, you had to let me go or else I would never know how to exist on my own. And that is why I stood in front of you when that werewolf had jumped at you. Because I owe you so much more then you think I do."

"I will never forgive myself for this. As long as I am in this world and you are not, I will regret every day I had lived without you. I do not wish to live anymore, knowing at the back of my mind that an innocent vampire had taken her life for me for the wrong reasons."

"Caroline, I know that he is coming for you, any day now and after all of these years. But I want you to do a few things for me, okay?"

Caroline nodded, sadly.

"Protect Elena. She is no Katerina. She wants to stand and fight, but she believes it is her only option is to obey his orders so that he will not harm her loved ones in return."

"I will. What else?"

"Look after Damon and Stefan. They deserve happiness and brotherhood after everything Katerina had put them through. Damon deserves to find love and someone who loves him for him. The same goes for Stefan, but especially for Damon because he had never felt truly loved before by anyone for just being him. Cold exterior and flaws and all."

"Of course. Anything else?"

"One more thing." Rose squeezed as tight as her weak hand could summon the remaining of her strength onto Caroline's. "Live. If not for yourself, live for me. Never feel that it's the easiest option to be rid of his wrath. Because you, Caroline, are a warrior and survivor. You are meant to endure and conquer any evil or pain that you are forced to face. Live for me and for Trevor, because then our five hundred years of running and our deaths would have been for nothing. Never forget that, okay? Promise me."

"Yes. I promise you, Rose."

_**Flashback (St. Austell, England - 1481)**_

_After Caroline and Rose had returned from their hunting, it was almost dawn but Rose had been still fast asleep. It had been five years since Caroline had taken her in and she never regretted a day of it. They had returned to her homeland after waiting a few years to allow the mysterious deaths and missing villagers speculations to die down before it was safe enough to return. Ever since they had, they were accepted into a small village, very far away from the public towns but not too far for them to hunt and return during the night. Over the five years, Rose had already accompanied a new friend. His name was Trevor. who was a year or two older then her and was dying of a contagious disease. He reminded Rose of her ailing human brother, who was forced into solitude from her human village to prevent the contagious disease from spreading to the healthy villagers. But Rose visited her brother every day, despite the risk to catching it. In the last village Rose and Caroline had lived in, Trevor was neglected and shunned from his human villagers after he had returned from war and caught a deadly contagious disease during his travels. On the night he was going to die, Rose begged and pleaded Caroline to turn him into a vampire and teach him as Caroline taught her how to be a humane vampire. With Trevor's consent and at last minute, Caroline turned him. Not for Trevor, but for Rose because Caroline knew that she could not face another preventable death._

_Now, Trevor was improving as vampire as Rose had done before and everything was going smoothly. Caroline managed to find a witch to negotiate two new daylight rings for Rose and Trevor. Rose had earned hers a long time ago, but Trevor still had a lot of training and restraint ahead of him to master before he earned the privilege to receive his daylight ring._

_The sudden noises of Rose waking up in her bed beside Caroline broke Caroline away from her train of thoughts and now focussed her attention on Rose. "Good morning, Rose." Caroline said._

_"Is it morning already?" Rose asked, sitting up in her bed and rubbing her eyes. "It feels like a few hours ago we had returned from hunting."_

_"That is because we were hunting a few hours ago. But I wish to give you something just as the sun rises."_

_"A present? But it's not even my birthday yet."_

_Ever since Rose was taken under Caroline's wing, she had considered the day that she agreed to let Caroline help her control and train herself was the day of her birthday. Her 'rebirth-day', they tenderly labelled it as._

_Caroline laughed, softly. "No, it is not a birthday present. It's a present of your admirable cooperation and unrelenting hard work over these past five years, Rose."_

_Rose jumped out of her bed, running over to Caroline's and sat in the empty space on the mattress. "What is it?"_

_She rolled her eyes, reaching out to her nightstand beside her bed, opening the drawer to pull out a small box. "Open it." Caroline said, giving her the little wooden box. _

_Rose did as she was told but her forehead creased, confusingly. "What is it?" She asked, fiddling with the ring._

_"It's called a 'daylight ring' where a witch has enchanted a spell on a specific type of ring with a blue gemstone called Lapis Lazuli."_

_"What does it do?"_

_Caroline smiled, waiting for her reaction. "It lets vampires walk freely in the sun."_

_Rose's eyes widened with anticipation and disbelief. "Y-You mean I can walk through the day without getting burned?"_

_She nodded. "Yes, ma'am."_

_"Just like you?"_

_Caroline raised her left index finger, where her daylight ring had been wrapped around it since she was turned. "Just like me."_

_Rose slid the ring onto her right ring finger and threw herself onto Caroline, wrapping her arms around Caroline tightly. "Thank you, Caroline! I could never repay you for everything that you have done."_

_She laughed, returning the gesture by embracing her just as strongly. "Everything that you have done, Rose, is enough of a payment for me. And besides, you deserved this ring. Just as Trevor will deserve his in the next three or four years after he had mastered education and self-control. The same process you had to endure and complete for the past five years."_

_Rose pulled away from their embrace to look at Caroline in the eyes. "It was worth every minute of it. You have opened so many more doors for me, now I am not a slave to the sun. I can be that much closer to being normal I would not be the same vampire I am today and Trevor would not be alive if it weren't for you. We owe you our lives."_

_"Nonsense. Your company and friendship will always be enough for me, Rose. Never forget that." Caroline vowed, playfully and very gently tapping Rose's chin with her finger before sliding out of bed. "Now, let's go."_

_Rose laughed and stood up from the bed. "Where?"_

_"Anywhere you please while Trevor sleeps and we should return before he does awaken."_

Rose smiled softly. "Thank you."

"For what?" Caroline asked, innocently and nonchalantly.

"You know very much what, Caroline." Rose said, referring to the memory that Caroline had put into her mind. She sighed a deep breath of air. "The pain is gone."

Caroline returned the smile gesture. "I'm glad."

"Do you think I'll see my family again, maybe even Trevor?"

She nodded. "Most definitely, Rose. I believe you can see whoever you wish to see."

"That would be nice. I'm not afraid to die anymore." Rose whispered, barely audible as Caroline rested her chin on top of Rose's head. She waited a few more minutes of the comfortable silence before she spoke again. "On the count of three?"

Caroline didn't need to ask for Rose to elaborate on what she meant. She recognized every unspoken word in her last request. Caroline nodded, reaching over to the nightstand, opening the drawer to find a wooden stake there. With Rose's eyes gently shut, Caroline positioned the stake over her heart. "Whenever you're ready, Rose." Caroline barely spat out audibly through her resurfacing tears.

"One." Rose whispered.

She gripped the stake, now just touching Rose's chest. "Two." She whispered again, her tone more faint then before this time.

Caroline counted to the last number, _Three_, in her head before simultaneously pushing the stake into Rose's chest. Rose gasped shallowly as her skin began to ashen to a dark shade of grey and the veins under her skin were now visible everywhere. Caroline spent the next hour or so, wailing out into the world as she clutched onto Rose's dead body in her arms. Why? Why does everyone have to die around her except him? It wasn't fair! The one who takes away the most lives gets to live to see another day. But not now. Caroline felt a new, bubbling reason in the pit of her stomach to be furious and feel nothing but hatred for that monster. Rose's death will never be in vain. Neither will be Trevor's or her family's. Not as long as she lived. There was a reason Caroline had survived and fought for this long. It was to be the one to put an end to him. For once and for all.

**live2write123: *sniff* did that get to you like it got to me? i've never written an emotional death scene like this before so don't mind me if it's not good :$. by the way, i know Rose and Trevor never had daylight rings in the series, but as you read, Caroline gave them one but they were taken away from them as punishment for betraying Elijah and Klaus :). just a little special addition i wanted to add in there to make this story more personalized :). anyway, here it is! sixteen pages on my microsoft word later, here's the chapter! i hope you enjoyed it as much as i enjoyed writing it for you! until next time, _hasta la vista_... lovelies ;D!**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**live2write123: hey everyone! i just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing and reading and favourite-ing and alerting :D. and to those who comment anonymously. the support is overwhelming and i can't begin to say how happy it makes me that you are liking this story :). anyway, i went to the beach the other day, spent the entire day in the sun and (given that i'm one of the most palest people ever) i'm proud to say that I DIDN'T BURN! i'm soo happy i didn't turn out to be a tomato because my best friend would have teased me for weeks -_- but what are best friends, right? once, on the long weekend in May last year, i got burnt so bad it was considered to be second-degree burns :| and i still had to go to school the next day! ugh worse week of my life. and it didn't even fade into a tan afterwards, which always happens to me. i burn into a red, fades into a pink and then i'm back to my paleness. :P i don't mind, tbh, i'd rather be pale as Edward Cullen's $$ then be as red as a ripe tomato.**

**ps. this chapter covers Daddy Issues and Caroline resorts to her old ways to get what's going on, she threatens someone, has a few new flashbacks of you-know-who (spoiler alert! which is starting to occur more then usual because you-know-who's arrival is just around the corner). **

**pss. WARNING! this chapter features a bit of Spanish and i don't know Spanish (at least a few basic words but not enough for a full-blown conversation) let alone French, if my life depended on it :P so bare with me! i used google-translate. i ask you to please DO NOT correct me if i'm wrong on this Spanish, i already know it probably is wrong already. i only know English, i'm not perfect... don't hate me! D: i hope these 16 pages on my microsoft word can make up for my poor Spanish. but anyway, please review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy! thanks again for all of the support! love you all! until next time, bye everyone :D! **

**Chapter Seventeen: Don't Get Mad, Get Even**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Throughout the night after Rose's death, Caroline did not sleep, despite her burning and red ringlet eyes due to her non-stop crying. Her old habits to stay awake for long periods of time as a running fugitive were starting to come to use to her ever since she arrived in Mystic Falls. She couldn't remember the last time she had a good enough sleep, even the time before arriving in Mystic Falls. Perhaps if he was put down for good, she could finally get some sleep.

But out of all nights of her nine-hundred-years, she especially couldn't sleep last night. Not after everything that had happened between her and Rose. Last night, after Damon and Stefan pried her body away from Rose's, Caroline left to a local funeral home and stole a casket made out of rosewood with white cushions and brought it back with her into the Salvatore's cellar. She removed Rose's dirtied and bloodied clothes before dressing her in a black, floor-length peasant dress. Caroline wiped Rose's damp face with a clean cloth and brushed her hair back out of her face, placing a fake lily behind her ear before she lowered Rose's body into the casket and crossing her hands over each other on top of flat stomach. Caroline stood over the casket, so deep in thought of the memories she shared with Rose, that she didn't even notice or hear Damon opening the heavily loud cellar door and closing it behind him. "Hey Care." He said, too tenderly for Damon.

"Good morning."

"And is it? Is it a good morning?"

She shook her head. "No. But it was worth a shot trying to pretend it is."

"I know this probably none of my business, but-"

"Probably." Caroline agreed in a whisper, interrupting him with a small smile on her face.

"But I'm curious," he continued. "Where exactly do you plan on burying her?"

Caroline sighed. "I was hoping I could fly out to England to bury her there because she was born there, but given the trouble to take a plane by compelling a pilot just seems too much of an attempt due to the current problems we have been facing recently, I've decided to drive down to Richmond and bury her where we buried Trevor. I know she would have preferred her final resting spot to be there as opposed to her hometown in England."

"Well, I'm sure Rose is appreciating all of the effort you're putting into this, Care." Damon said with one of the rare smiles he ever shows to anyone. "When do you plan on leaving?"

"Tonight. At the latest. I might stay a couple days, I'm not certain yet but you have to call me if you-know-who makes an appearance before the next full moon. Okay?"

"Of course, you know I will. But why stay here and postpone your road trip longer?"

"Knowing werewolves, they don't like to be told what to do and they like to get even. Especially with vampires. And if I knew any better, Jules must have disregarded my second warning and has called her little low-life, waste of space pack of werewolves for some support. No, a werewolf doesn't just walk into a town, uninvited and unannounced, and leave without creating or leaving behind any damage. Particularly not this town, where vampires are less then half of Mystic Falls' citizenship."

"So, you think she's gonna try something?"

"Why wouldn't she? I attacked her twice and just because she killed Rose, doesn't mean that the score is settled. They take pride in victory over their enemies."

Damon snorted through his nose and crossed his arms over his chest. "No wonder I haven't heard of the existence of werewolves before this all happened. Their rivalry with vampires must've lasted centuries and it's no surprise that they're nearly extinct."

Caroline took one more look down at Rose before closing the casket lid and taking the lead out of the cellar and Damon followed her. "Yeah, but it wasn't always like that."

His eyebrow creased. "What do you mean?"

"There was a time when werewolves were just as known and popular as vampires are today. They were a liability back then, threatening to expose us for the monsters that we are. I was near exposure during the Spanish Renaissance, in 1508."

"Damn, I forgot how old you really are, grandma."

Caroline playfully elbowed his side as they walked up the basement stairs. "Shut up, gramps." She muttered.

_**Flashback (Spanish Renaissance - 1508)**_

_It had been five years since Caroline and Katerina had settled in Madrid, Spain during the Spanish Renaissance. It was also the first time the two travelers had ever stepped out of the shadows of small villages to a large city with a lot of people and the bigger possibility that they could be caught by him or one of his workers that are desperate for his approval. But after Katerina's insistent begging and convincing, Caroline agreed that they should be living normal lives, no matter what or who was holding them back from experiencing such a privileged lifestyle._

_But little did anyone really know, Caroline had taken over the role in a double life. One life was just a normal Spanish vampire living peacefully in Madrid. But at night, she was a famous hunter called: "El Cazadora Sin Rostro", meaning in proper English: "The Faceless Huntress". At least that was what it said on her wanted posters, which were placed up everywhere around every corner of Madrid. She never meant to make herself THIS well known to the public, but until recently Madrid has been controlled and manipulated by an evil leader. Assumingly by a vampire. A vampire who had assassinated the previous human leader in order to earn his title and control over most of Spain. Vampires who were known and living in Spain were allowed to take humans from their homes to force them into slavery for money, with the new leader's permission, of course. Caroline recently discovered this with her own eyes barely six months after her new settlement in Spain. She saw vampires lining up to the leader's almighty castle on a hill, with documents asking for permission to take away a human girl or boy in their teenage years from their family in order to make them their blood slaves. The human family would have sold them into this slavery in order to receive a few coins for food and water. And most of the greedy vampires were given permission to do so. During the night, a hungry but devious vampire noble had demanded to invited into the human's home or else he would burn it down. The small home in the town square was owned by a small, poor human family of a father, mother, their eldest daughter and youngest son. The human man owning the home refused to let the vampire in, but stepped out of his protected home with a wooden spear. Some of the inferior families in Madrid were happy to oblige, handing over their daughter or son and their undecided future in order to have one less person to feed at the dinner table. Some families chose their skin over their children. It made Caroline sick to her very bone that this new vampire leader just waltzed into Madrid and turned everyone against each other. Some humans turned their backs on their friends, accusing them to be planning an overthrow of their leader. The innocently accused human would not even be sent to the royal dungeons for a fair trial. They were either dragged to the gallows immediately, tortured by the almighty leader himself, or they were auctioned to a vampire into a lifetime of cruel slavery. And no one was allowed to flee Madrid without the leader's approval. Every entrance into Madrid were constantly occupied by the Vampire Military Police Force, allowing new settlers in but arresting those who try to leave without a document saying that the leader has let them go. It was a prison from Hell, and over the years, Caroline had watched them as they built walls around Madrid to keep everyone inside but are welcomed to bring outsiders in._

_Anyhow, Caroline watched as this nervous aged man bravely attempt to protect what was rightfully his. He loved his daughter and refused to hand her over to this monster. Caroline watched from her bedroom window in her human home across the street as the two vampires began to torture the man, breaking his every finger and every bone in his body until there was nothing left. But now that the sole owner of the home, who had purchased this home, was dead, his body sprawled out and bleeding out onto the pavement floor of the streets of Madrid, any vampire was allowed to enter. But before they could enter, Caroline used her vampire speed to pull on her black tights, her long black peasant skirt on top and matching short-sleeved top, a black leather sleeveless vest with a long matching cape attached to the shoulders of her back, her black leather thigh-high boots, a black eye mask before shoving her short blonde hair into the hood of her vest. She quickly grabbed her crossbow and shot two burning arrows into the backs of the vampires from her bedroom window. The dropped to the ground in an instant, dying alongside the innocent dead human. Caroline jumped out of her window, falling two stories and landing perfectly on her feet. She went to the house, compelling the widowed wife and her two children to forget about everything that happened tonight, that their husband was accused of treason and sent to death and that they were given permission by the leader to leave Madrid. Caroline gave them a forged document with the leader's approval and by sunrise, they were gone. Caroline burned the three bodies in their home and everything had never been the same since._

_It had been four years since then, and by now the leader has been thoroughly aware of The Faceless Huntress's attacks and preventions. Every night would be the same. A new vampire would show up at some human's home with a document and demand have the humans hand over their child or their house would be burned to the ground with the humans still trapped inside. Caroline watched from her window, killed the vampires before any innocent human would be killed, compelled the humans to forget and leave Madrid without a return and handed over a forged document with the leader's consent. Ever since her first attack four years ago and officers had found the ashes of the home Caroline burnt down, the leader had a warrant for her safe arrest with an enormous reward to those who find her and bring her to him safely for questioning. Katerina was always aware of Caroline's actions and the double life she lived, but never told her to do something differently. The young vampire herself had grown tired of these pointless murderous attacks on the humans. But Caroline would never let her get involved. This was the new life Caroline had to live. Until the very day she got caught or died protecting the innocent._

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

When Damon and Caroline entered the living room, Stefan was standing directly in front of the massive plasma television screen with his tensely crossed over his wide chest and was watching the news channel. By the tense back muscles through Stefan's shirt, Caroline could tell something was indeed bothering.

_"The authorities believe that last night's assailant may also be related to the missing campers and Park Ranger who have yet to be found, as well as twenty-five-year-old Jessica Koenig, reported missing this morning. The sheriff department says investigations are pending and no further comment will be made."_

Stefan turned off the TV with the remote controller, turned around and stared accusingly at Damon. "What?" Damon asked, innocently as he poured himself a Bourbon.

"Don't give me that. I want to know now that if you were behind these murders."

"And why would I?"

"Because of everything that's happened with Rose, which I'm very sorry about. I know you cared about her, Damon."

"Stefan, hasn't it occurred to you that there are werewolves in this town now? In Damon's defence, it was full moon last night. Anyone could have killed those people."

"I've brought that into consideration, Care. But we all know how my brother can be thrown off the edge. And Rose's death may have been the push to throw him off."

"Whatever, Stef. I knew the girl for five minutes. It doesn't matter."

Caroline looked questioningly at Damon, wondering why Damon disregarded Rose's death as if it was nothing.

"And you cared about her during and after those five minutes."

"You didn't exactly win 'the smartest person in the world' award, either brother." Damon countered, changing the awkward topic. "You brought back John Gilbert? _That_ was your big 'save-Elena' move?"

Stefan shrugged nonchalantly. "I went to look for Isobel and I get John instead. He said he can help us and we're desperate."

"We're not _that _desperate, Stefan. The guy tried to barbecue me!"

"I'm sorry, who is this lovely John Gilbert? He sounds like a pleasant and trustworthy being."

"Trust me, he's far from it." Damon muttered.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "John Gilbert is Elena's biological father. He's rough around the edges, but he has one common and mutual goal. He wants to keep Elena safe and alive."

"What my brother forgot to mention is that he hates us and all vampires and he's never done one thing to prove his loyalty. He says one thing and does another. Oh, and everyone hates him. The outsider."

"Damon, Bonnie's new witch friend is working for Elijah, so we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed. Elena is putting all of her faith in some deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe. I mean, do you trust Elijah? He's an original, he can't be trusted. It's not like we can just go up to him and kill him because apparently he can't die."

"Why not?" Caroline asked.

"He has a Gilbert ring that prevents him from being killed by a supernatural occurrence. It's an old family heirloom." Stefan briefly explained.

"I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer." Damon asked, tediously.

Stefan sighed. "He knew about the sacrifice. Isobel told him. He said he knew of a way to keep Elena safe."

"And how do we do that?" Damon asked, unrelentingly.

Suddenly, Caroline's cell phone buzzed in her pocket with a text message. _Tyler knows about Stefan and Damon. He knows that Damon killed Mason. I didn't say a word._

Caroline raked a hand through her hair but already knew who was behind this. _Don't worry. I believe you. I'm on my way to your house._

She turned back around to find the two brothers still arguing. "He's not talking," Stefan responded, "at least not to me, anyway."

"Great work, Stefan. Top notch." Damon said sarcastically before finishing off the rest of his drink. "As if I didn't have enough problems already."

After Damon had left the house with a loud clang, Caroline walked towards Stefan with her cell phone in hand. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially now of all times. But we have a problem."

Stefan read the text message and looked up at Caroline worriedly before walking around her and towards the door with Caroline quickly following behind him.

By the time Stefan and Caroline arrived the Young residence, Alison was impatiently and worriedly waiting for Caroline on her front porch. Her wide eyes fell on Stefan as they stepped out of their car before unbelievingly shifting her sight to Caroline. "You _told _him?" Alison exclaimed.

"Of course I did. It was either him or Damon. And out of the two brothers, who do you think would come up with a solution civilly to this problem?" Caroline asked, rhetorically with a lifted eyebrow.

Alison didn't answer, she just huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, what exactly happened? How did you know he found out?" Stefan said, breaking the silence.

"He came over this morning, saying that we needed talk. I thought it was understandable because of the way I treated him after last night and-"

"What happened last night?" Caroline interrupted.

"Well, after the football game, he gave me drive home, thanked me for all that I've done for him and he kissed me."

Caroline's eyes widened and opened her mouth to speak, but Alison beat her to it.

"But this morning I clarified that Matt is still in the picture and that we couldn't go there. Just when I was about to open my car door to go to school, he asked me about Mason. I played dumb until he told me that he knew Mason's dead and wanted me to tell him what happened. But I didn't, so he continued and said that Stefan and Damon killed them because Stefan and Damon are vampires. Like me. And then he asked if I knew the whole time, I nodded and he shoved me up against my car. I tried apologizing but he didn't say anything except that he trusted me and then he left."

"It was that girl Jules who must have told him last night." Stefan confirmed. "It has to be. She's trying to turn Tyler against to get him on her side since she knew that he was a werewolf, but didn't know the truth about Mason."

"I should have killed her when I had the chance. Twice." Caroline muttered, regretfully.

"No, with all the killings that are going around, it wouldn't have solved anything." Stefan disagreed.

_Except Rose would still be alive._ Caroline thought to herself.

"Tyler was so upset. The look on his face, he was so betrayed." Alison added.

Stefan rubbed the back of his neck. "This is bad."

"Neither of you aren't going to tell Damon, are you?" Alison asked, worriedly.

"No, he already wants him killed. He thinks all werewolves should die and he's not wrong to think that, Alison." Caroline explained. "I mean, what if Tyler tries to retaliate? He has every right to. He'd get himself killed if he picked a fight with Damon."

"Well, we're not gonna let that happen. We have to get him and reason with him before he does something stupid." Alison looked at Stefan. "You have to talk to him."

"Why should I?" Stefan asked, confusedly.

"Just try to explain to him, okay?" Alison nearly begged. "You always know the right things to say to him, okay? He and I... _we're friends_."

_**Flashback (Spanish Renaissance - 1508)**_

_Ever since Caroline had left with Katerina from England, she had taken the poor, vulnerable and hunted new vampire under her eye for protection and guidance. She taught the new vampire how to pursue humans humanely by attending local hospitals for freshly donated blood and in case of an urgent need for blood, Caroline taught the girl how to hunt in the forest for animals. Caroline frequently asked herself why she had decided to care for the girl or what possessed her to ever agree to it. But she did, because if a human was to be turned into a vampire, willingly or unwillingly, not one newborn should live their new life unguided and uneducated. She had suffered from this affect, but she was a rare case to teach herself how to hunt humans down for their blood gently without the guidance and education of her sire. Nevertheless, she was grateful that her sire did not teach her any of his skills when it came to killing innocent people. She would have been a mass-murderer, slaughtering innocent human for her personal gain. It was not the only way for vampires to live._

_Tonight, Caroline didn't have to worry about vampires knocking on a human's door for their freedom and blood. Tonight everyone was celebrating the first night before the season of Lent by organizing an annual Carnival in the town square, lit up by lanterns and fireworks and festive music and bright-coloured clothes. Just this morning, Caroline had purchased themselves masquerade masks and beautiful dresses for the event, given that it was apart of the dress code. Katerina literally begged her to go with Caroline, but under circumstances for the past four years, she thought it was best for the girl to stay home. But then again, for once in her new life, she deserved to have a little fun. Under one condition, of course. She was to never Caroline's side throughout the entire party. On the bright side, Caroline took this time as a test for Katerina to see if she can truly withstand the smell and thought of so many people and their deliciously addictive blood. _

_As the sun was beginning to set, the town's people began to arrive at the towns square, dressed elegantly for the occasion, hanging lanterns were alit and the joyful music began to fill the town's atmosphere. Caroline wore a long, blood-red gown and her golden blonde hair brushed back in a braid with small flowers intertwine. Katherine was dressed in a long, dark-blue gown and her chocolate hair was tied back into a bun with loose ringlets falling from her head. They both put on their expensive jewellery and masks before they exited their home._

_"And remember, Katerina. The word has spread far and wide of our existence to the vampire world and we are now wanted fugitives. If anyone appears suspicious, we must leave immediately. We cannot have him on our trail." Caroline warned._

_"I promise, Caroline. When you have said the word, I will leave with you and you will not hear a single question to examine your reasoning. I trust you with my life." Katerina vowed._

_Caroline nodded, stepping out into the lively towns square where night had already taken over the sky and everything was going smoothly. During most of the songs, Katerina danced with Caroline, laughing already at the cheerful night and genuinely enjoying herself. Caroline smiled at the girl, her laughter filling Caroline's ears and it made her happy to see the girl this way. It was a night to let go of the past and look forward to the future, whatever the future held for them. _

_Somewhere during the night, a young human man, who didn't appear to be suspicious or under compulsion, summoned the courage to ask Katherine to dance with him. Caroline allowed it, but watched them closely from the refreshments table. She drank her red wine from the goblet, her eyes never leaving Katherine as she danced beautifully and seductively with her somewhat-nervous partner. _

_"Es una noche hermosa. No está de acuerdo conmigo, preciosa?"(It's a beautiful night. Do you not agree with me, sweetheart?). A man with a deep, unfamiliar voice said to her right who spoke fluent Spanish. _

_"Sí, es hermosa. Pero ¿por qué estás perdiendo el tiempo, hablando a mí?"(Yes, it is beautiful. But why are you wasting your breath, talking to me?). Caroline responded in just as perfect Spanish as he._

_"Te equivocas, mi amor. No fue un problema. Me sentí atraída hacia ti el momento en que te vi. Yo sabía que tenía que darme a conocer a usted o yo lo lamentaría por el resto de mi vida." (You are wrong, my love. It was no trouble. I felt myself drawn to you the minute I saw you. I knew I had to make myself known to you or I would regret it for the rest of my life.). The man explained thoroughly._

_Caroline eyed him from head-to-toe. "Me parece justo. Pero hay muchas mujeres hermosas esta noche, buen señor. Seguramente debe haber otra razón de por qué quiere hablar conmigo." (Fair enough. But there are many beautiful women here tonight, good sir. Surely there must be another reason to why you wish to speak to me.)._

_"Nací y crecí en esta ciudad. Conozco a todos aquí, pero parece ser nuevo en la ciudad. ¿Cuánto tiempo has estado aquí?" (I was born and raised in this city. I know everyone here, but you appear to be new to town. How long have you been here?)._

_"Ah, me llegó hace apenas seis meses. Pensé que era hora de que salí de mi familia y descubrir mi propio camino por mi cuenta." (Ah, I arrived barely six months ago. I thought it was about time I left my family and discover my own path on my own.). She easily lied to the man, who believed it fully._

_"¿De dónde eres?" (Where are you from?)._

_"Un pequeño pueblo en el interior de Inglaterra." (A little village inside of England.)._

_His eyes widened at her response. "Entonces usted debe hablar Inglés. ¿Dónde has aprendido español como una exquisita?" (Then you must speak English. Where have you learned such exquisite Spanish?)._

_She slowly smiled at him, rather flirtatiously. "Soy principiante rápido, buen señor. Pero si usted me disculpa, la música está llamando mi nombre." (I'm fast learner, good sir. But if you'll excuse me, the music is calling my name.)._

_"Sí, por supuesto. Si no me intruso, me permito acompañar con esta danza que viene?" He offered her his hand, charmingly. (Yes, of course. If I'm not intruding, may I accompany you with this next dance?)._

_Caroline nodded, unhurriedly. "Usted puede." (You may.)._

_He led her to the middle of the town square, surrounded by other couples dancing to the magically slow music. To her luck, he didn't speak to her. He just stared at her, intently and knowingly for the most part. The man appeared to be in his late 20s. He had dark, short facial hair that matched black hair, which was slicked back beneath his beret. He wore a dark velvet jacket with gold embroidered lining, linen pants that were tucked into knee-high leather boots. The most memorable aspect of his attire were his gloved hands and the massive, valuable rings almost on every finger. _

_"Eres la niña más hermosa que he visto jamás. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?" (You are the most beautiful girl I've ever beheld. What is your name?). He asked._

_"Bueno señor, usted es demasiado amable. Mi nombre es Clementine. Y lo que podría ser su nombre?" (Good sir, you are too kind. My name is Clementine. And what might your name be?)._

_"Enrique de Acosta. Usted es un excelente bailarín." (Enrique de Acosta. You are an excellent dancer.)._

_"Gracias, Enrique. Así que tú eres." (Thank you, Enrique. So are you.)._

_"Usted se equivoca. Es usted, bella dama, que ha tomado la delantera en esta danza." (You are mistaken. It is you, beautiful lady, who has taken the lead with this dance.)._

_Caroline laughed, delightfully. This man was quite the charmer. But little did he know that she did not fall for it. He was sweet-talking her into something much greater then a typical conversation and dance between two strangers. No, there was something beneath all that charm and normality. Something Caroline has always been personally conscious of. Fear._

_When the dance had ended, she stepped back from him. "¿Podemos hablar? ¿En privado?" (May we talk? In private?). She asked, calmly._

_Caroline caught a moment of hesitation in his eyes but surely enough, that was covered by a flirtatious smile. "Sí, el camino." (Yes, lead the way.). He said._

_She bravely grabbed his hand and lead the way, quickly looking at Katerina who was at the beverage table, surrounded by men and laughing at their jokes. I will make this quick. Caroline thought to herself before continuing her journey into a dark alleyway in between two tall buildings. She pushed him up to a wall, her hands on his chest, and leaned in close to his ear. "Who do you work for?" She asked in her native tongue._

_"¿Perdón?" (Excuse me?). He said, confusedly._

_She rolled her eyes and backed away from him with her hands on her hips. "Please, I know you can speak English. There is no one around. It's just us. You can be yourself here."_

_Suddenly, he laughed a sinister laugh. "You're right. I do speak English, but you already knew that, didn't you? Why did you continue our conversation in Spanish, if you knew I knew English?" He asked in perfect English, but with a thick Spanish accent._

_"I did not wish to make a scene. If I am to live in Spain, should I not speak the language, no?"_

_"Good enough. Now, what have you accused me of?"_

_"Are you a vampire?"_

_He smiled, proudly. "Yes, I have been newly turned."_

_"You are hiding something. I can see it in your eyes, sir. I want you to tell me the truth."_

_"All I can say is that I work for someone higher above. And they have asked me to find you, make conversation with you, and to do whatever it takes to distract you."_

_"Distract me? From wh-"_

_She cut herself off, suddenly understanding what she fell for as an abrupt outburst of women screaming came from the town square behind her. Within a instant, Caroline stabbed Enrique's thigh with a hidden wooden blade dibbed in vervain from the sleeve of her dress. When he tried to reach for the burning blade, she stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The blade has been poisoned with vervain, a highly toxic herb for vampires. And if you remove it, even you will bleed out from damaging a major artery in your leg." Caroline easily dragged his body out of the alleyway to see people running in every direction, desperately trying to find shelter. In the middle of the square, where she danced with this worthless piece of a man, stood Niklaus Mikaelson, wearing the richest clothes and a mask. What worried Caroline the most was the person he was holding hostage. Katerina, whose mask had been removed and her lips were burnt red._

_Once everyone was inside their homes, the town square was clear and dead-silent. Only he and Caroline stood there. "Ah. Caroline. It is about time you revealed yourself to me." He said, holding Katerina by the throat. The girl trembled in fear as his grasp tightened around her throat, lifting her body high above in the air. _

_"Let the girl go, Niklaus. There is no need for bloodshed here."_

_"But love, haven't you heard? I have been searching everywhere for the two of you. I believe you have something that belongs to me."_

_"What, the moonstone? You have no use of it, now that your precious doppelganger's blood is tainted with immortality."_

_"Thank you for reminding me, love." He turned his head to Katerina, who looked terrified as ever and squirmed from his grasp. "This one has a death sentence I am to deliver to immediately."_

_"If you kill her, you will never find your precious moonstone ever again." Caroline countered._

_"Alas, my darling. You have stated that I have no use of it anymore. That is not worth letting Katerina Petrova live to see another day. Given that she is to blame for everything that had happened in England. As well as yourself, you are to blame as well."_

_Caroline thoroughly and quickly thought of what to do next. If she threw a throwing knife at him, he would use Katerina's body as a shield. If she moved any closer to him, he would kill the girl in an instant. But in a desperate attempt to save the girl, Caroline ripped out the blade from the injured and dying Enrique, tossing his body aside before holding the wooden blade up against her own throat. "If you kill her, you kill me." She threatened, confidently._

_"And what makes you think that has a hold over me? You have betrayed me, Caroline. You mean as little to me as Katerina does." He stated, coldly and sternly._

_"Let's test that theory, Niklaus. If I truly mean nothing to you, then you won't mind me killing myself right now." Caroline proved her words by slitting both sides of her throat, her wrists and numerous cuts up her arms and legs before stabbing the blade into her stomach. She dropped to her knees, her suddenly tired eyes look up at Niklaus, who's eyes had quickly turned from vengeful and murderous to wide with shock and anxiety. He had dropped Katerina to the ground, Katerina's coughing briefly taking over Caroline's hearing before the girl disappeared from the scene without a trace. "Stop!" He yelled worriedly, "that's enough, Caroline!" But Caroline refused. She stabbed herself with every bit of force to the middle of chest to get her point across that he should have never negotiated with her. It was debatable from Niklaus's eyes and distance if she penetrated her heart or if the force was deep enough to even reach her heart. She fell to the ground, her eyelids slowly shut and for first time in a long, she felt it was the last time she would see his dangerously and unquestionably beautiful face ever again._

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Stefan and Caroline parted ways when they left Alison in her house. Stefan agreed to help reason with Tyler at the Lockwood's mansion and Caroline decided to resort back to her old, stalker, eavesdropping ways to retrieve the information she needs. She first tried at the Grill where a massive RV was parked in the parking lot. She watched from her car as a man in his mid-twenties with shaved dark hair and a very hard and cold exterior enter the Grill. While the man was inside, Caroline got out of her car and cautiously placed a tracker underneath the truck attached to the RV before returning back to her car and waited for the man to reappear out of the Grill. When he did, she stayed put in her car and watched on her GPS as the truck went deep into the forest. After the dot stopped moving, Caroline got out of her car again and trailed on foot down the path where the RV was parked.

Caroline ended up deep into the forest, about fifty or sixty miles off of the main road. She watched from a safe distance while the man step up parking his RV into the ground and then went back inside. Ten minutes later, a new blue truck arrived at the scene who happened to be Jules, as she approached the RV, looking around before knocking on the door to receive no answer.

"Brady?" Jules asked, just as the door opened to reveal the man Caroline followed here, who was now known as Brady. They both smiled and kissed each other as a welcoming gesture. "This was a hard place to find."

"You told me to stay under the radar." Brady's gruff and husky voice explained.

"Thanks for coming." Jules said sincerely.

"Are you sure these vamps that killed Mason?"

Jules nodded. "Positive. You have to be careful."

"I'm not afraid of vampires." Brady stated, confidently.

"I know, baby. But I want the boy more than I want vengeance." Jules emphasized, slowly.

Brady shrugged. "I say, let's get both."

Caroline pulled out her phone, opening a blank new text message to Stefan. _We're not alone. Jules has definitely brought her back-up werewolves from Florida. And I bet they're making a move tonight._

She looked up to see Jules and Brady disappearing behind the RV door. Caroline took this as her chance to leave. Her cell phone vibrated somewhere during her run out of the forest, but she didn't read it until she reached the busy road. _No doubt about it. I'm still working on Tyler. Keep this information away from Damon. He'll do something we're all going to have to clean up._

Caroline nodded. _Noted._ She sent the text message, but was still debating on letting Damon in on the news while she was on her way to the Mystic Falls' square where there was memorial for the most recent missing citizens of the town. Caroline found Carol Lockwood saying her sincerest condolences to the families until a middle-aged man with one glove on his left hand politely interrupted her. She hears them converse about the secret Founder's Council, but Carol explained that Damon had taken over the business and told him that he should go talk to Damon about it. When she left, Jeremy Gilbert stepped into the picture, engaging into a cold-shoulder-conversation on Jeremy's behalf and then he ignored John's advances to go out to lunch to catch up with him. Caroline quickly catches up with John before he could get into his car.

"Hello." Caroline said, cheekily.

He eyed her suspiciously. "Hi." He said, confusedly.

"You know, I'm not good to introductions. But you look awfully familiar. Have we met before?"

"No, I can assure you that I would have remembered you if I saw you."

Caroline laughed. "I think I'll take that as a compliment." She offered him her left hand towards him. "Well, My name's Caroline Forbes. And who are you?"

He looked down at her outstretched hand and cautiously slid his gloved hand into hers. "John Gilbert."

She shook it gently and smiled. "That name does sound familiar. Oh, wait. Are you not the vampire hunter who rounded up the tomb vampires with an old gadget called The Gilbert Device that was used in 1864? And the same occurrence happened last year, did it not? Unfortunately, I wasn't present when this happened after I arrived in Mystic Falls myself, but I heard you nearly killed Damon Salvatore that night."

"You're friends with Damon Salvatore?"

"I would say we're more of acquaintances, but I also understand that nobody really enjoys your presence here. And now I can see why."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Caroline Forbes. I'm a very old vampire, also a vampire hunter, and lately, I've been very... impatient towards unneeded and unwanted nuisances. I would advise you is to not make me retaliate to whatever genuine reason you are here for, do we understand each other, Mr. Gilbert?"

He nodded.

"Now, why do we head to the Grill together? I bet Damon and your daughter, Elena, are just dying to see you." Caroline said. "I promise to you, John, I will not harm you unless you ever give me a reason to."

Shortly after John and Caroline arrive at the Grill, Jenna was venting to Alaric about her being told that John was Elena's biological father and couldn't believe that she had been lied to this entire time. Barely a minute after Caroline stepped foot into the Grill with John, Damon and Elena entered the room. Damon, as civilly as he could possibly be, talked to John at the bar while Elena and Caroline sat at Alaric and Jenna's table in silence. In the end, John was dead set on not believing their alliance or loyalty until they did something to show it that John could trust them to be on the same side. After Alaric made up some reason to leave, Jenna was reunited with that news lady that Caroline saw on the television this morning. Andie Star was the girl's name, in her mid-twenties with long chestnut brown hair and a flirtatious smile.

_"Andy Star." _The girl introduced after Damon's rude acknowledgment to her being the news lady._ "Nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink, Damon?" _She asked, sounding hopeful.

Damon raised his glass of Bourbon._ "My glass is all full, Andie. Thank you."_ He returned to Elena and engaged in a short conversation until Elena received a phone call from Stefan, she looks up at Damon and Caroline already knew what Stefan was calling her for. The werewolves have taken Alison as a bargaining chip for Tyler. She followed them into the bathroom and listened into their conversation behind the door.

"Why am I just finding out about this now?"Damon asked, enraged.

"Stefan was worried that you would..."

"That I'll what? That I'd kill him? Of course, it's what needs to happen."

"No, Damon, not Tyler. Do whatever you need to get Caroline back but just leave Tyler out of it, okay?"

"Why? He's a werewolf, he needs to die. I'm willing to kill him, it's win-win."

It takes her a second to soften her voice. "Damon, please, okay? Too many people are dead. Be the better man, Damon."

Before Damon could say another word, Caroline entered the bathroom to see Elena had her hand on Damon's arm. "You know, you need to stop doing that." Caroline said, gesturing towards her hand.

She looks down at it and removes it. "Doing what?"

"Assuming that Damon will play the good guy because it's you who is asking him to. Look, Elena, we're not human. A few days ago, Damon told me those exact words and for the vampires that are still holding onto what's left of their human life, end up trying to be human. And we're not human. Sure, Stefan is different because he lives a more humane lifestyle compared to most vampires, but that doesn't make him anymore human. Just because Damon wouldn't lash out to take it out on an innocent human and fill in his pain, because you told him, doesn't make him anymore human. Let's face it, we're undead vampires. And it's about we all face and accept that true fact together. Stop trying to tell Damon what to do. To be the better person, is not in our job description. I only held Katherine back and scolded her for her actions because I raised her differently from the beginning of her existence as a vampire. But this is the way Damon has lived everyday of his life. If wants to change, great. If doesn't, oh well. It's our decision, it's his. No matter how much we want to interfere and convince them differently." Caroline looked at Damon, who's back was still turned away from her. "We should head out, Damon. We need all the vampire back-up we can get."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not." Damon said just as John came into the washroom at the most useful timing. "Great, first dad duty: ground her daughter. Keep her here."

Damon walked around John and followed Caroline out the door while John blocked the door from Elena escaping.

After Caroline and Damon arrived at the scene outside of the forest, it was dead silent. However, they followed towards Stefan's distant voice, who was trying to civilly exchange Tyler for Alison with Jules. But that wasn't on Damon's agenda for tonight. By the time they reached the RV, Stefan was standing beside Tyler while Jules was standing in front of the RV, and that Brady punk was assumingly in the RV, torturing Alison.

"Ah, my brother the peacemaker. Since Stefan got here before me, I was gonna let him try his way. But since I wasn't informed about this whole negotiation until now for obvious reasons, you should give us Alison before I resort to my way, which is a little bloodier." Damon explained.

"Let go of Tyler." Jules stubbornly demanded.

"Give us Caroline. Without a full moon, it's not even a fight and you know it. We will take you." Damon threatened.

"I'm not so sure about that, tough guy." She whistles, and at least ten or more men began to crowd around them, including Brady. They were all armed with stakes, crossbows, propane, a blow-torch and fire. "Let's try this again. Give us Tyler."

Damon looks at Tyler. "You heard her. Go."

Tyler cautiously and slowly walks across the wide space between them and stands beside Jules. "Which one of you killed Mason?" Brady demanded.

"Uh, that'd be me." Damon jokingly raised his hand.

Brady points his stake at Damon. "Boys, make sure this one suffers."

Damon looks over at Stefan. "We can take em'."

Stefan's eyes are busy looking around at the men surrounding them. "I don't know about that."

"Oh, come on, Stef." Caroline teasingly elbowed his side. "Have a little faith in us. Rest assured, I use to torture and kill this type of riff-raff for fun or for practice. Whatever was appropriate at the time."

Everything happened in a blur, Damon went after Jules while Stefan went the opposite way and towards the guy with the propane and blow-torch. Caroline climbed up the nearest tree and using her blowpipe, blew wolfsbane darts at all of the opposing enemies, causing them to be weakened and falling to the ground for Damon or Stefan to rip out their hearts. Whenever a wolf tried to shoot a stake at them, they caught them before it would hit them and threw back at the wolf. Just when Caroline thought everything was safe, a werewolf successfully stabbed Stefan from the back and he falls to the ground. Damon was fighting with Brady, until Brady forces his hand into Damon's chest and grips around it painfully. Caroline was sparing with Jules until she shot her with a wooden bullet. Caroline looks over at Alison, who was released from her cage inside the RV by Tyler, but Jules pinned her against the side of the vehicle with a gun pressed against her back.

Suddenly, everyone begins to scream except Tyler, Alison, Damon, Stefan and Caroline. The werewolves grabbed onto their heads as they slowly dropped to the ground and screamed until they were unconscious. A dark-skinned man in his late thirties, early forties appeared walking around Jules's truck with his outstreched hands, casting a spell on the werewolves. "Elijah made a promise to Elena." The man said. "I'm here to see it's upheld. You need to go. Get out of here. Now."

Caroline ripped the bullet out of her and gave Alison a piggy-back as Damon and Stefan followed her out of the forest. "When you're friends awaken, given them a message: they need to get the hell out of this town." The witch named Jonas warned Tyler before he left as well.

While Stefan took Alison home to make sure she was okay, Damon and Caroline returned to the boarding house. After Caroline showered, got dressed into her sweats for the night, she finished packing to head to Richmond at the break of dawn and decided to say her goodnights, as well as her goodbyes, to Damon. She found him in the living room, sitting on the couch with a Bourbon in his hand and a dagger in his other hand. "Hey, what's that?" Caroline asked him.

"A little gift John Gilbert's dropped off."

"I see, are you two on the same side now?"

"Don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Caroline nodded. "Okay, well I wanted to say good night and goodbye before I leave tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, good luck with Rose's burial tomorrow. She deserves it.

"Yeah, she does." Caroline smiled, turning away. "Anyway, good night. I'll see you in a few days."

"Wait, Caroline." Damon said, preventing her from walking back up the stairs. He stood up and walked towards her. "Look, I understand why you didn't tell me about what was going on tonight. But at the time, I was already on edge and the fact that you didn't inform me, it hurt. But... after everything that you said to Elena today, I wanted to thank you for it. I'm tired of people expecting and asking me to change me. I'm in love with a woman I can never have. But killing people is in my nature. But then I have to stay together to protect her and she wants me to be the better man, which means I can't be who I am."

Caroline shrugs her shoulder and smiles. "Maybe that's who you are now, Damon. Love does that to us, Damon, it changes us. For the better and for the worst. But if she can't accept you for who and what you are, then she's not worth the fight. I won't stand by and watch another Petrova doppelganger use you like a disposable piece of Kleenex. You don't realize how much you deserve, Damon. Never forget that, okay?"

He stared surprisingly at her and slowly nodded at her.

"Good night." She leaned into him and kissed his cheek, but before she could pull away, he grabbed onto her face and kissed her lips. He didn't try to stick his tongue down her throat, but she was still confused to why he did this. When he pulled away, Caroline opened her eyes as he leaned his forehead against her.

"Thank you." He whispered, slightly breathlessly.

She smiled, taking the friendly kiss as a thank you and nothing more. And she was more then happy to accept it as just that. Caroline cups her hands over his hands, which were still on her cheeks. "You are most welcome, Damon."

_**Flashback (Spanish Renaissance - 1508)**_

_Caroline stirred awake, her body was hanging from the domed ceiling with thick chains attached to her wrists. She instantly realized that this was certainly not heaven or hell as she cursed at herself for not stabbing herself deep enough when she had the chance to. Niklaus must have taken her back her, in hopes to have her confess that she is the legendary Faceless Huntress. Caroline looked around at her surroundings, her feet were chained to the ground as well and for once, she was shocked to be locked away in a massive bedroom. Out of the gigantic window beside an enormous bed, was the sun setting behind the horizon line and the city of Madrid. It may have been a day since she had been unconscious, but now that she remembered her self-inflicted cuts, they were heavily bandaged and slowly healing due to the vervain on the blade that prevented her body from its fast healing._

_"Good evening, Caroline." A voice boomed from the darkness at the double doors of the room._

_"Niklaus," Caroline whispered, physically drained as he walked towards her and walked into the light. "You should have left me to die. It would matter to you if I did, anyway."_

_Her hooded eyes took in the view standing proudly before her with his hands on his hips, wearing his fancy, bright and brand new clothes while others lived in rags. It made her sick._

_"How could I grant you such kindness, Caroline? After everything that you have done to me, I thought I might as well catch up with you before you ever successfully kill yourself." Niklaus murmured, softly. He gently caressed Caroline's cheek with the back of his hand, she tried to pull her head away from it but he just grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes._

_"If you are trying to compel me, it is no use." Caroline gritted through her clenched teeth. "I began drinking vervain everyday from the time I left you in France."_

_"Alas, I already assumed you would have resorted to that terrible endurance. But tell me, Caroline, are you informed of the length of time we have spent apart from each other?"_

_"No, I have currently been very busy and distracted to take notice in it. But I'm sure you will enlighten me, anyways."_

_"Two-hundred and fifty-years, to be exact. And I do not know about you, but it has been far too long."_

_"What are you going to do with me?"_

_Niklaus smiled wickedly before lightly planting a kisses from the base of her throat to the hollow spot behind her ear. "Whatever I please, my dear. But I can assure you, I have indeed missed you. We have a lot to talk about before I make my decision to let you go or..., well I can't give ALL my secrets away." Niklaus whispered in her ear, threateningly. He kissed the corner of her lips and backed away from her, towards the bed. "Sweet dreams, my love."_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**live2write123: hello everyone! i'm going to keep this message short and sweet and wanted to thank everyone for everything that you do for this story! i love the support and feedback and it pushes me to write and post more chapters for you! **

**ps. i'm just warning you that since Caroline's away burying Rose's casket, and this is in Caroline's POV, she doesn't know what is happening in Mystic Falls, so this chapter skips FOUR episodes from the last including: (Crying Wolf, The Dinner Party, The House Guest, and Know Thy Enemy). but not the next chapter but the chapter after that will time for The Last Dance and Caroline arrives just in time to the 1960s Decade Dance. but please review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy! i can't thank you all again for the support you have contributed to this story :)! enjoy :D!**

**Chapter Eighteen: Ask And You Shall Receive**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

At exactly midnight, Caroline had her packed bags at the door, as well as Rose's coffin. She ran on foot to a funeral home downtown, 'borrowed' a hearse from the place and drove it back to the Boarding House. She loaded the vehicle with her bags in the backseat and placed Rose's coffin in the long compartment of the hearse. Caroline got into the car and drove to Richmond, wanting to Richmond and off the streets before most people would be awake. She didn't want to attract unwanted attention by driving this hearse around so early in the day and in broad daylight. Caroline wasn't use to being alone, in fact, she hated it. There was too much unnecessary silence and she feared that she would think of a memory in the past. Because that is exactly the only thing she will ever think of whenever she is left alone. The past.

A lot of vampires would say that she was lucky to have lived this long, but Caroline never felt lucky for one day of her existence. But truthfully, she never lived it or relished it like a normal, carefree vampire. She spent the last nine hundred years running away from someone whose intentions and motives have never been entirely apparent or unclouded for everyone to see. He never vowed he would hunt her down and kill her, because every encounter they did experience, he would always request her capture would be left unharmed. She hoped it would his concern for her well-being, but that could completely mean something utterly different. Uncertainty and deception. For all Caroline knew, he could have ordered his followers or employees not to harm her because he wanted to be the one to inflict such injurious and destructive torture in the past. Whatever the doubtful reason, that was then and this is now. And now, Caroline could understand that it was different from the past. Maybe this time he wanted to indeed kill her. And she know that he would not hesitate to do so.

_**Flashback (Spanish Renaissance - 1508)**_

_After a week of silence since her capture, Caroline woke up one morning the dominant smell of blood. She opened her tired eyes to see a golden chalice under her nose and Niklaus was the one to hold it there, teasing her for a drink._

_"No thank you." Caroline muttered, turning her head away._

_"Oh, come on, love. It has been a week since you last fed before I had brought you here. You need to drink something before your luscious body begins to preserve itself."_

_"That is my intention, Niklaus. I am your prisoner. I will not accept such generosity if you are to kill me in the end."_

_"I never admitted nor confirmed that I would indeed kill you at the end of your capture. I simply wish to talk to you, that's all. And besides, like I said. Death would be too kind for you."_

_"Then of course, you plan on making me suffer until I confess to you all of my reasons to betraying you. Questions like: why I left you in France two-hundred and fifty-years ago? Why I stole the moonstone from your possession if I was trying to be hidden from your eyes forever? Why I have chosen Katerina Petrova's alliance over yours? Why I would end my life in exchange for Katerina a week ago? And if I am indeed linked to being the Faceless Huntress of Madrid? Am I correct? Are these the questions you wish to ask me?"_

_He nodded in agreement. "Relatively correct, yes. Now, do you mind sharing the answers to those questions, or will you continue to be silent?"_

_"As long as you return the favour, Niklaus. I have nothing left to hide from you."_

_Niklaus's eyebrows creased with suspicion. "Are we making a negotiation, now? Since when had a prisoner bargained a reasonable agreement with her captor?"_

_"Since now. If you indeed wish to know my motivation towards my actions against you."_

_"Continue."_

_"I have one answer for you only, Niklaus. And one reason to why I betrayed you."_

_"Go on."_

_"Vengeance on the inferno upon my human village and justice to those who are innocent under your wrath and personal gain."_

_"What are you talking about? I had no contribution towards your village's inferno."_

_"Of course you had and do not dare to stand in front of me and lie to my face, Niklaus! My human village was annihilated and you were indeed the reason why they had been burned, because you and your two sibling were under residence and protection of a peacefully human village. You were running from someone before you met me and they wanted you leave my village without formally threatening you to do so in person. Instead, the killer resorted to striking fear into your heart thorough enough to force you to leave me behind as I watched my family and friends burn in Hell. If I had known you would have betrayed me before, Niklaus, I would have never turned into a vampire to be with you. Instead of taking me with you on your escape, I saw you watch me hold my dying parents before you turned your back on me and disappeared into the smoke. It was the last of my intentions to ever see you again, but I did when you saved me from the attack of a pack of werewolves and cured me of a dying bite. I did not want to confess that I knew the truth, and so I became vulnerable and fell in love with you all over again. And that led to a night of intimacy we had never experienced before. After that night, it was as if I had awoken from my vulnerability and remembered why I wanted to be as far away from you as possible. So I did not confess the truth to what I felt and fled France before you could awake again. I could only hope that you would not come after me, and for the most part, you never did. But I encountered you in England and I was curious to know why you were given a nobleman title alongside your brother. I wanted the both of you to suffer, more then I ever did after the inferno. And so, I watched you court Katerina Petrova with sweet words and attention. When she found out behind your true reasoning, she fled and I took her under my protection and the moonstone into my possession. After she was turned into a vampire, I still wanted to protect her even though your search for me and your need for revenge on me would have grown that more immeasurable and persistent." Caroline stopped to take a breath, and by Niklaus's shaken, dazed astonished reaction to her speech, she continued her clarification. "I wanted to protect her and have her live because she deserved it. She was an innocent person. Her human life and blood was to be used for your personal gain, and I could not let that happen for you to win such an award without my involvement. Whatever for the reasons to why you needed Katerina's human blood and life and the moonstone, I knew it was for your personal gain. And I have always refused to let that happen as I watch you boast and praise over your victory."_

_Niklaus suddenly and quickly raised the chalice of blood to his lips and finished it in one gulp before turning away and walking towards his bed to lean against one of the tall posts to the canopy. _

_"Do you understand now, Niklaus? Or must I go into deeper detail then I already have?"_

_"No, that is all."_

_"And you have nothing to say? Have I rendered you speechless, Niklaus? What will you do with me now, now that I have given you nothing but the truth?"_

_"I will let you go. Unharmed and free of charge."_

_"That is all? After four-hundred and forty-seven years of hunting and tracking me down to know the truth, you will not kill me for my rebellious and unforgivable acts against you?"_

_He looked over his shoulder, but his eyes did not meet hers. "No, that is it. I never awaited or anticipated on killing you, Caroline. Even if I had the motivation to torture you or kill you, I could not and would not ever do it. Not after everything I have done to you. I have mistreated and forgot concerning my actions in your village, the pain I caused when I left, as I was only thinking about hunting you down and capturing you over the past four hundred years. If anything, I would expect you to kill me. And I truly believe you will never be satisfied with retribution unless you do." _

_"We are meant to be enemies, Niklaus. We fell completely, unforgettably, belligerently and excruciatingly in love with each other and we were forced to become enemies for our forbidden emotions and actions towards each other. We should have predicted our future if we ever tolerated each other and our different views of the world. You wish to destroy it, I want to save it before it is too late." Caroline sighed, looking tiredly down at the ground before return her line of stare at his back. "I have yet to kill you, Niklaus. And I cannot help but ask if you will ever grant me the opportunity to kill you."_

_"Yes. Most definitely and promptly."_

_"Then, if you speak the truth, then tell me how to do so successfully."_

_Niklaus walked to his bedside table, pulling open the door. He slowly pulled out a white stake with a fancy, bronzed hilt attached to it. He took his time, holding the stake in both of his hands, while walking towards her. He kept his eyes down at the dagger until he stood only inches away from Caroline's face. "It is stake carved from the wood of a White Oak tree from my human village. But my family burned it to the ground after we were turned into vampires. The tree that had given us life, could also take it away. This can kill me or any other member of my family."_

_He leaned forward, slowly placing the dangerous stake into her hand before gradually unlocking her bounded shackles around her wrists. Niklaus stepped away from her, throwing his arms out from his sides horizontally before bending his head back until his neck was fully exposed to Caroline and his face was positioned towards the ceiling. Caroline gripped around the stake, preparing to charge at him. This was it. This is when I will finally gain revenge on my family. But as she thought this, Caroline couldn't help but feel it was wrong now that she had the knowledge and power to do so successfully. With her vampire speed, she ran towards him and stopped in front of him until their bodies were touching each other. She slowly raised the dagger above her head, aiming for his undead heart. But struggled to plunge it down into him. Her hand wielding the deadly weapon shook vigorously as her face scrunched with frustration and impatience, but her body was frozen to do anything any further. It infuriated her that body was unquestionably and confusingly rejecting her thoughts as her mind chanted and encouraged her to strike him down. But instead, tears were sliding down her face, her risen and trembling arm eventually and slowly lowered to her side and her tightly clenched fingers released the stake from her hand and it dropped to the marble floor with an echoing clash. Niklaus lowered his head and returned his confusing face to her as he watched the tears fall from her face._

_"Caroline, what ever is the matter?" He whispered._

_She cupped her hands over her eyes and spun away from him with her back now turned towards him. "I cannot... I cannot kill you, Niklaus."_

_"Why is that?" He asked, sounding hopeful for the same response he was thinking of and the same reason he could not kill her either. "Is it because of the same reason I cannot kill you, either?"_

_"And what reason is that, Niklaus?"_

_"It is because I love you, Caroline. I never truly ever stopped loving you, I only stopped showing it and believing that I do. I refused to believe it for so long because... love is a vampire's greatest weakness. But we are not weak. Neither of us are. And it gives me no greater joy and pleasure that you feel the same way as I have always felt for you."_

_"One day, I will be able to kill you, Niklaus." She whispered. "And avenge my family. I promise that nothing could ever change my decision."_

_"I will be waiting for that day to come. Until then...," Before Caroline could process what he was doing, he roughly grabbed her arms and forced his lips down upon hers. At first she fought him, trying to squirm out of his vice grip, but to no avail. He pulled himself away from her, but kept her body closely against his. "We should enjoy each other's company, for it has been a long time since we have." After his lips collided to hers again, she finally gave in, unbuttoning his jacket as they walked together to his bed. Once his jacket was undone, she slid it off his shoulders, dropped it to the ground and pushed him onto the bed before climbing on top of him._

Before Caroline could continue to think of the past and what they did _after _she straddled his hips like a horse, she drove the hearse over to the side of the road and threw her head back against the headrest before slamming her irritated fists against the steering wheel. _Calm yourself, Care._ She thought to herself over and over again. _It happened five-hundred years ago. _Until she convinced herself she was stable enough to start driving again, she pulled back into the side road and headed towards her destination. It was unbearable to think of the past, especially this particular moment. She should be mourning over the loss of Rose, not the thoughts of Niklaus's relentless and passionate lovemaking of the past.

After she had reached a city called Reidsville in North Carolina, the sun would rising in an hour and it had taken her five just to get here. She decided to ditch the hearse at another funeral home before anyone could report a crazy woman driving it everywhere around the city, and trade it in for a red pick-up truck with tempered glass and a bed cover to envelop the back of the truck while Caroline placed Rose's casket there. She drove past the city and drove down more side roads until she was further and further into the country and found that abandoned old house. If should could ever live somewhere permanently, it would a place like this. An old, abandoned house from at least the 1800s with character and historical value to it that all would need is a lot of major improvements to make it liveable and to come alive again. She loved it, despite the fact that Trevor was killed and Rose could do nothing about it but watch her friend be slaughtered for disloyalty that happened centuries ago. But aside from that devastating factor, Caroline always dreamt of living in an old and abandoned house for good, if she could ever finally settle down from the chase and the hunt. However, that day never came in nine hundred years, why would it arrive now?

Caroline drove her truck around the reasonably big house until she reached that massive willow in the backyard where she and Rose had buried Trevor's body. She parked it a few feet away from the tree with a shovel in her hand. She walked to the tree and ran her fingers over the craved words in the tree trunk in the memory of Trevor. Luckily, Caroline decided he and Rose both deserved better tombstones then that. She had compelled a man to purchase two small gravestones out of marble, one with Rose's name and the other for Trevor, without any unnecessary questions or speculations to be asked. Caroline had the same words that Rose carved into the tree trunk to be engraved on Trevor's gravestone.

**Trevor Anderson**

**B. 1450 - D. 2010**

_**A Beloved and Devoted Friend**_

_**Rest In Paradise**_

And as for Rose's gravestone, it had:

**Rose-Marie Fisher**

**B. 1456 - D. 2010**

_**An Loyal and Committed Friend**_

_**Rest In Paradise**_

Below both gravestones were two doves, symbolizing their ultimate freedom, flying out of the birdcages and towards heaven. Because now that they were both out of this world of running and hiding, they were free from all of it and free to live their lives elsewhere. Caroline sawed down the engraves on the tree trunk and began to dig a six-foot-deep hole for Rose's coffin. It didn't even take Caroline thirty minutes to do so, but as she pulled out the casket, she gently lowered it into the hole beside Trevor's buried body with her vampire strength, whispered her final goodbyes and prayers before piling the dirt on top of it. Caroline positioned the two tombstones at the head of their burials and placed wild flowers on top of them. When she was done, she looked down at her dirtied clothes and decided to go bathe in the small pond beside the house before changing out of her filthy sweats. After her bath, washing her hair and body with the traveling toiletries she brought with her, Caroline got dressed and decided to head into town for breakfast, looking back at their tombstones through the rear view mirror as she drove away.

When she arrived downtown, she checked herself into a dingy, grimy rundown motel and immediately opened the window to air out the furniture and the air itself. Her room was not perfect, but her stay wasn't permanent. In fact, the place reminded her of the room she checked out back in Mystic Falls, when she moved out of her exquisite hotel room with Katherine, and the after she accepted Stefan's offer to rent out a guestroom of his boarding house. She remembered how her momentarily trip to Mystic Falls was indeed just that. A trip and momentarily. But then reopened her heart to the Salvatores and subconsciously made up her mind to help them and protect them with everything that she is. It was the least she could do after sitting back and watching Katerina played and used them against each other. Caroline never tried to stop it or prevented it from happening according to Katerina's scheming ways, but maybe she hoped deep down inside of her that if she could prove to them that she was reliably on their side and was willing to sacrifice anything to keep Mystic Falls and the civilians in one piece. Caroline faintly knew and remembered what it felt liked to be used and abused by someone dominant and ruthless and merciless then her, who was left helpless but to follow their every desire and command. But it was never Elijah nor Niklaus who did this to her. They had no reason to a month or so after she was turned into a vampire. No, it was a vampire Caroline could never forget, but has tried extremely hard to do so over the past centuries.

Caroline decided to do something out of the ordinary tonight. At least something that she next to nothing ever does, unless there was an essential reason to go. A strip club. On her way over to Starbucks, she passed by billboard saying that Friday nights were Ladies nights. Whenever Caroline wasn't hiding from a vengeful vampire, she used to go to strip clubs or night clubs to relax. Not that she was interested in women or anything, she just found amusement and a strange leisure in the grubby, most likely married, men that drool all over the strippers while they spend hundreds of dollars on her. For her own fun, she took a pole dancing lessons once while she stayed in Las Vegas for a month.

By the time she got to Starbucks, she ordered a strawberry frappuccino, a breakfast wrap and a chocolate chip muffin. During her meal, she continued to catch a man in his late twenties looking over at her from her booth. But by his soft, young features and muscle build, Caroline couldn't look away from him either. He could have passed for a university or scholar student with his short black hair that normally would have fallen over his forehead in a sweep of bangs, but he stylishly runs his fingers through it back, out of his face and off to the side. What really startled her were the shade of his eyes. A shade of silver or a pale grey. Either way, they were hypnotic and beautiful. He wore a white, deep v-neck t-shirt, a black button-up cardigan sweater on top with the sleeve push up to his elbows and fitted dark blue jeans. He also wore a white gold chain necklace with two or three military dog tags at the end of the chain and engraved words on them. But Caroline quickly went back to her food before she encouraged him to feel obligated to walk over to her. However it was too late, her sideways glances at him from across the store gave everything away. And before she could scarf down the rest of her food for a quick escape, he was already walking towards her.

"Hey." His boyish but soothing man voice rang to her eyes.

Caroline slowly raised her head to him and smiled. "Hello."

"Look, I don't mean to be forward or anything, but unless you're waiting for someone, do you mind if I sit with you?"

She shook her head. "No, not all. Please, join me." Caroline gestured towards the empty booth seat across from her, which he obliged happily with a mouth full of perfectly white and straight teeth. "If we're eating breakfast together, can I ask you for your name?" She asked.

"Felix. My name is Felix Dawson. And yours?"

"Caroline Forbes. It's a pleasure. I don't usually enjoy my breakfast with strangers, but I'm not complaining. I also enjoy meeting new people."

"Oh, me too, without a doubt. It's not everyday I walk in Starbucks one morning and I see an unfamiliar face for once."

She chuckled. "I'm assuming this is your hometown, then? Or do you come here regularly?"

"No, I moved here two years ago and I come to Starbucks almost every morning. Is this the part where we tell each other our life stories?"

"Well, maybe this introduction would be less awkward and we could possibly move past with the tiresome uncomfortable silences."

"I agree. So, a game of twenty questions?"

"Sure."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty. And you?"

"I'm twenty-two."

"Okay, what's your story?"

Felix sighed with a smile on his lips. "Already ripping off the band-aid, huh?"

"Enlighten me, Felix."

"All right, for as long as I could remember, my parents have always wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. We lived in New York, but we owned a small cabin out in the country and as I grew up, I began to spend more time out there then with my family in the city. Neither of them finished college or university, so when they had me and my sister, they pushed us into the direction of their fallen dreams given that they never finished theirs."

"I understand. Parents and their expectations tend to get in the way of us finding our own path and purpose."

"Then, what about you? What's your story?"

"My situation is similar to yours. Except my parents expected different paths for me to take. My mother expected more from me then I could give her and my father just wanted what was best for me and what made me happy. I grew up trying to pick a side to be on, and the more I followed my father's expectations, the more me and my mother's already strained relationship began to crumble."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry it. I spent my entire life getting over it." Caroline paused before thinking of her next question. "If you don't mind me asking, what does it say on your necklace? I've been trying to figure it out for a while now."

Felix looked down at his necklace and fingered the dog tags before looking back up at her. "Well, since I didn't follow my family's rules, I had myself emancipated after I graduated high school and began living on my own. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible, but I couldn't leave my little sister behind, so I still continue to visit her regularly. As for the necklaces, I had an older brother, Adam, who joined the military to escape from my controlling parents. He was eighteen when he signed up for it, and I was sixteen at the time, but he was killed in action by the time he was twenty-five. I have his name engraved on it with the year he was born in and the year he died. But the second one is for my little sister, Lydia, just to keep her close to me whenever I'm not there. She's only ten."

"Haven't you ever considered following your brother's footsteps?"

"Of course I have, I would have if I didn't decide to move away. But I couldn't do that to my sister. She would have no one to be there for her if anything happened to me."

"That's very noble of you."

"Thank you, do you have any siblings?"

"Not currently. I did have a sister, but she passed away at a young age."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"So, how do you plan on staying here in Reidsville?"

"Only for a few days. I had to get away from my town. It's been suffocating me for the past few weeks."

"Where're you from?"

"Now, if I tell you that, I feel that you will judge me for it."

"I won't. I promise."

"Mystic Falls, Virginia."

"I heard of that place. But no one really talks about it much. I heard it was known for it's supernatural secrets and history."

"Perhaps. I was just visiting a few friends who were buried here." Caroline said as she finished her frappuccino and stood up. "Well, thank you for keeping me company, Felix. But I'd better be off."

He rose to his feet as well, standing over her at no less than six-foot-two. "What're you doing tonight?" He called after her.

Caroline laughed, but turned around to face him. "Now, that is what I would categorize as 'being forward'."

"I'm sorry, but if your staying the weekend, the least I can do is show you around."

"And take me out to dinner as well?"

"Maybe."

"I hate to decline, but I'm busy. It was nice to meet you." Caroline turned back around and made it out the door before Felix followed her out.

"What could you be busy with in a city you're visiting for the first time?" He asked, incredulously.

"I'm going to a strip club. Happy?" She said, slightly impatient.

His features completely changed from persistence to embarrassment. He stared at her with wide eyes, his mouth agape before his eyes looked down at the cemented parking lot. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I wouldn't have joined you for breakfast if I had know that you were-"

Caroline shook her head, cutting off his hurried rambling. "I'm not. I just haven't been to one in a while."

He looked back up at her with his eyebrows creased with confusion. "Why do you even go, then?"

"Are you complaining that you _don't_ enjoy the company of a bunch of half-naked girls spinning on poles and giving you lap dances?" Caroline asked, teasingly. "I just go for the amusement of the perverted men drooling over the girls they can never have."

Felix faked a shocked expression and scoff. "Dare I ask if you are indeed an evil little person for taking pleasure in for your own cruel amusement?"

"I'd say so." Caroline said, easily within an instant. "Do you want to come with?"

He stroked his chin, thinking in deep thought. "Well, if I say no, then you would automatically think I was gay. But if I say, yes, then you would probably think of me no different then one of those 'perverted men drooling over girls they can never have'."

"No, I wouldn't judge you. You can make up your own excuses for not going. But suit yourself. But just think: while I'm indulging in erotic dances from strippers, you'll be having a very cold shower tonight, buddy."

"All right, fine! You've talked me into going."

"Well, I'm sorry I used so much energy and effort to convince you."

"Hey, if I get a lap dance out of tonight, it certainly beats the cold shower, right?"

"Of course."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Sure, if you don't mind. I'm just staying at the motel down the street. Ask the front lady for my name and she'll buzz me down."

"Perfect, no problem at all. What time?"

"Nine. On the dot."

"All right, I'll see you then."

"Okay." She said with a smile, opening the driver's door to her truck, sliding into the vehicle and looking out at Felix's broad shoulders walking towards his car. "Oh, and Felix!"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"I suggest you wear something the ladies will love."

Felix laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "I will if you will."

She winked at him after starting her truck up with her key. "I'm already on it, buddy."

After Caroline returned from a very erotic clothing store, she returned to her motel room, had a shower, blow-dried it and for the first time in a long time, straightened it. She wore what she bought: a red, strapless corset top, a pair of dark denim short-shorts, a cropped black leather jacket and a new pair of black suede, thigh boots that made her feel impossibly tall. She finished her look off with a bit of makeup, liquid eyeliner and blood-red lipstick. Before she knew it, it was five minutes to nine and Felix had arrived early. She went to the elevator, went down to the lobby and found Felix waiting for her. This time, he wore a white dress shirt that was buttoned down halfway and hugging his body in all the right places, fitted light blue jeans, white Timberland boots, and an unzipped leather jacket on top. He eyed her outfit approvingly, his mouth fell open when he saw her walking towards him with a sway in her hips.

"Hey Felix?" Caroline asked.

He continued to stare dumbly at her. "Huh?"

She snapped her fingers, snapping him out of his train of thoughts. "My eyes are up here." Caroline motioned with two fingers.

Felix simply rolled his eyes and laughed. "I'm sorry, but you just look so-"

"Amazing? Flawless? Drop-dead gorgeous for your liking?"

He nodded, approvingly. "All of the above." Felix outstretched his arms and slowly turned around in a circle. "And what about me? Does this fit your category for 'something the ladies will love'?"

She eyed him from head to toe, but cocked her head to the side and shook her hand from side to side. "It's all right."

He gave her a worried look, looking down at his outfit before meeting her amused eyes and her red lips biting back a laugh. "You little vixen. You're lying! Of course I meet up to your expectations, I mean, have you seen me?" He winked, opening the flaps further apart to reveal more of his white shirt and tanned, exposed chest.

Caroline looked at his chest before walking up to him to pat his shoulder. "Whatever gets you through the day, buddy." She whispered, turning away and walked towards the automatic doors.

By the time they reached the strip club, it was nine-thirty and they continued to talk to each other, mostly about his life, while they waited in the long line up. But Caroline didn't care that they were talking about his life and his childhood, not only did she barely remember her young childhood, but she was afraid she would give too much information away about what she is. When they reached the doors, the bouncer checked their IDS and let them inside. The massive room was lightened by neon laser lights and the sound clouded by slow, sexual dance music. Caroline wasn't surprised to see the human population of the club were mostly middle aged men and then there were women in their mid-twenties enjoying their ladies night out. Felix and Caroline had left their jackets in his Chevy to avoid a long wait of a coat-check at the end of the night.

They were escorted to a small table by a waitress with very little clothing on. She gave them their menus of the drinks they offered, Caroline ordered an apple martini and Felix had a beer.

"Want me to order you a lap dance on side?" Caroline teased.

He shook his head. "I need to get warmed up for that kinda activity."

"But wouldn't you rather just jump in the water and face the music?"

"I'm more of a 'take-one-step-at-a-time' kind of guy."

She nodded. "Noted."

"What about you? Are you seriously enjoying yourself?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"God, where the hell have you been all my life? I remember when I was kid with hormones and I'd always want one of my girl-as-friends to take me here. It was like my dream date."

"Well, if your still up for taking me out to dinner tomorrow night, then we'll see which was the better date. Mine or yours."

His eyes glittered with mischief. "Game on, vixen, game on."

For the rest of the night, by the time Caroline finished her third martini, she asked for him to pick his favourite in the room. Felix took his time analyzing his option of women and whose the blonde with fishnet stockings, a leather skirt, stilettos and a bra that unbuckled at the front. Caroline watched him with amusement as she sipped at her fourth drink at the bar. The place was packed by now and it took everyone at least twenty minutes to get from point A to point B. When she had finished her drink, she ordered another one without any signs of intoxication, although she could feel it bubbling in the pit of her stomach. "Hey sweet thing. Do you work here?" A middle-aged man, who was an inch or two shorter than her and wore clothes that smelt like he had been wearing for a week or two, slurred his words standing next to her. _Here we go_, Caroline thought to herself.

"No, I don't. But if I said I did, you would want something from me, right?"

"Of course. We're at a strip club and I would pay good money to see you dance for me."

"Too bad, so sad. I don't work here."

"That's a shame, then what are you doing here? A night away from the boyfriend, I assume?"

_What did this creep take me for?_ She sighed, tediously. "No boyfriend. I'm just taking my friend out for his birthday."

"Well then, just because you don't work here, doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun together."

"Tempting," she said sarcastically, "but I'll pass." Caroline tried to walk away from him, but he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back to him. "Let go of me." She warned through gritted teeth.

"Or what?" He whispered, tauntingly and teasingly. "What could a little thing like you do to-?"

Before he could do or say anything else, Caroline twisted his stubby arm behind his back and shoved his face on top the countertop of the bar with perfect effortlessness and strength of a strong and normal human woman, but resisted the urge not to dismember his arm from his shoulder's socket. "Well, for starters, I will literally break every bone in your arm before I forcefully remove it from your body if you ever touch me or any other woman that way again." Caroline hissed in his ear. She looked up at the people standing around the bar with a frozen shocked expression on their faces, as well as everyone else's in the room and the music was cut off, before she turned to the bartender. "A word of advice: cut the people off of the alcohol supply you give them to consume before one of them ends up brutally raping one of the employees. Got that?"

The male bartender nodded nervously, beads of sweat rolling down his face. The muscular bouncers arrived at the bar and removed the man from the club. Everything went back to it's original state, the music, the people chatting and the dancers... dancing. Caroline sat back in her seat and began sipping her drink again before Felix frantically sat next to her. "Oh my God, Caroline. Are you okay?" He asked, nervously.

She smiled at him. "No harm, no foul."

"I'm so sorry, if only I was standing here with you, he wouldn't have touched you."

"And you would have probably started a fist fight with him and both of your asses would have been thrown out." Caroline said. "So, don't worry about him. I was just taking out the trash."

He nodded, reassured by her words. "All right."

Caroline sipped at her drink. "How did you like your dance?"

"It was going great, until it was rudely disrupted."

"If you're blaming me for the commotion just now, I will be damned to let another man touch me like that." She snapped, her words falling out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"What do you mean, 'another man'? Caroline, don't tell me you were-"

She looked at him, deep into his beautiful eyes and that look spoke everything to him before he continued asking his question. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Great, now I feel like an even bigger asshole." He muttered.

"It happened a long time ago, it's nothing worth repeating. I just knew after that day, I wouldn't let anyone me like that without my permission."

"I'm sorry that it happened to you, Caroline." He gently placed his hand over hers on the countertop "I won't let anything happen to you as long as I'm with you, okay? I'll be your personal bodyguard."

Caroline smiled. "I'd like that. Thank you."

He winked at her and removed his lingering hand. "Anytime, little vixen."

Suddenly, the music was cut off and someone standing on the stage that looked like a catwalk on a runway with numerous of stripper poles up and down the pathway. Assumingly, the owner of the club stood under the three spotlights with a microphone in his hand. "Good evening everywhere, I'm sorry to interrupt your night. But I have a special request from one of the girls here tonight in the crowd, claiming that she wants to show off her moves and singing skills to everyone here. But she stated that she won't do it for free, so my fellow men get out your wallets and prepare to be amazed."

Caroline smiled, downing her drink and standing up from her seat. Felix looked confusedly at her. "Where're you going?" He asked.

"You know how you asked me why I come here, I told you for my own amusement, right?" She questioned.

He nodded.

"Well, I suppose I didn't tell you the _entire _truth to that little story."

Caroline made her way to the stage, all the lights were turned off as she as put on her ear microphone and took her stance on the stage. The music to the song: _"Sexy Silk" by: Jessie J_ came on and so did the lights. She sang to every word, danced seductively to the song, flipped her hair every now and then, and twirled her flexible body around the poles and collected any bit of the bills of money that the men were waving at her. By the end of the performance, she was counting her money on her way back to the bar. Felix looked at her like he looked at her outfit at the motel. "Felix, you're drooling." Caroline teased.

"Where the hell did you learn all of that?" Felix asked her in disbelief.

"My friend called me uptight and strict once, I proved her wrong by taking a month's worth of pole dancing lessons."

"You never cease to amaze me, vixen."

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

"How much did you make?"

"Roughly around three hundred."

He whistled. "Wow."

"And I didn't even have to take any clothes off."

"I don't even want to image how rich you'd be if you did. You've got some skills there, vixen, I'll admit that. You can fight your own battles, you sing, you can dance, you can pole dance... is there anything you don't know how to do?"

"I don't know how to solve a Rubik's cube. I broke about twenty of them before I just gave up on the idea of trying to succeed."

He laughed. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

He nodded. "Before I have to resort to ripping men's hands all over you."

When Caroline said her goodnights to Felix, they agreed to have lunch together, maybe catch a movie before dinner. Once she was alone in motel room, she removed her skin-tight clothing, showered and changed into something loose-fitting and comfortable. By the time she reach her bedroom, her phone blinked with a notification that someone had sent her a message. She opened the first one and it was Damon, catching her up on everything that happened today in Mystic Falls.

_Today was an... utterly disappointing day. Stefan and Elena are off on a secret getaway at her family's lake house. I went a historical tea party at the Lockwood's and tried to get some answers out of Elijah, only to get stabbed in the neck by a pencil. And then, Jules and her backup friends dropped by for a visit, had a bit of déjà vu sitting in the chair I killed Mason in while they tortured me. But once again, Elijah showed up to save the day and killed everyone but Jules managed to escape. Stefan called me and told me that the punk Brady and Tyler tried to take Elena, but Stefan told Tyler the truth and killed Brady. So that's one less problem we need to worry about. But Bonnie found some interesting news about that witch Luka who is working for Elijah with his father. She looked into his thoughts and apparently, Elijah always intended to protect Elena's friends, but not her. So, now we need to think of a plan to put him away._

After reading, she began to text him back. _Are you sure you want to do that? Do you know how to kill an original vampire?_

Not even a minute later, her phone buzzed. _Yeah, you know that dagger you saw me with last night? John Gilbert stopped by before and gave it to me, saying that if I dip the dagger into the ashes of this particular tree, it'll kill him._

Caroline frantically responded back to him. _What type of tree is the ashes from?_

Her heart thudded with anticipation. _It's called a White Oak Tree, dated back hundreds of years ago._

She sighed. _Okay, well be careful. I don't want to return in two days and find out that someone was killed. _

It didn't take him long to respond. _Have faith, Care. We'll be fine. I'll see you in a few days. Night._

Caroline texted him back 'good night' and put her phone onto her nightstand beside the bed and turned off the lights. Barely a minute later, her phone buzzed. She groaned, irritably picking up her phone to answer Damon's new text message.

But the thing was, it wasn't Damon who texted her... it was _him_.

_I told you not to leave Mystical Falls, my sweet Caroline. And now, I have no choice but to find you and bring you back to me. If you were that impatient to see me again, all you had to do was ask and you shall receive. Until next time, good night, my dear._

**live2write123: there you have it, a storyline based off of my thoughts and to be honest, it was quite intimidating and stressful, not gonna lie :P. but i hope it met up to your expectations! a few of you have commented on my ways of writing, i'm just adding more emotion and perspective to how i want this story to be about Caroline's life and views, opposed to where it's about Elena's life in the TV series. that's all, nothing special. :P but this chapter came out of my mind and how i wanted to see Caroline act differently out of the constant tension and worry in the Mystic Falls bubble and as you can see, Caroline _does _have a fun and wild side to her ;P. but the key points i want you to focus on was Caroline's past with that vampire who used her and the new character i added in here, who will make a future appearance in the story after Caroline leaves Reidsville. he's portrayed by the gorgeous Adam Gregory, who has been in 90210 and is currently in a soup opera called The Bold and the Beautiful. oh gosh, before i go all crazy fangirl over him on you, goodbye and see you next time :D!**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**live2write123: hey everyone! oh my gosh, thank you EVERYONE for the reviews, followers, favourites, and just reading this story! i'm hearing a lot of positive feedback and comments which makes my day, puts a smile on my face and motivates me to write another chapter for all of you! **

**ps. this is another chapter in Reidsville, and there's not much but a long, emotional, heart-to-heart scene with... you know what? i shouldn't give everything away, so you should read and find out for yourself! :) but Caroline and Felix have an ugly encounter and are forced to reveal the truth towards each other... the suspense! DUN DUN DUHHH! *evil laugh*.**

**pss. thanks again for everyone that takes the time to read every chapter, who favourites, follows, and reviews this story! i'm blessed and overwhelmed to have all of your support and contribution :). but please review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy lovelies! :)**

**Chapter Nineteen: The One That Got Away**

_**Present Day (Reidsville, North Carolina - 2010)**_

The next morning, Caroline's eyes ached as she forced them to stay open. She pondered over her most recent text message from him. _Would he really come all the way over here, just to drag me back there? _He had been sending her confusing and deceptive messages for the past couple of days, and frankly she didn't know what to suspect. Would he really show up at her door, sedate her with vervain and then next thing she knew, she woke up to be attached to some underground torture chamber? Or, optimistically, she could just be left in one piece with her existence spared and they would simply have a civilized reunion between two very old vampires and everything would turn out rainbows and unicorns. However, that was closer to nothing to ever happening whenever he did finally get impatient and fed up with the questionable threats and the cryptic messages. No matter how many times she tried to stay positive and no matter how many times she tried to convince herself that maybe this is all just a silly, endless, cat-and-mouse game, nothing worked. It just wasn't in his job description to be sympathetic and charitable to his enemies. Never has, never will.

And besides that fact, Caroline felt justly guilty for not telling Felix the truth about what she is when she woke up the following morning. A vampire. But that's not exactly the most attractive and alluring pick-up line to say about themselves when they are trying to meet a new person and make friends with the human. Humanitarian vampires don't just waltz up to some human saying: "Hello, my name is Caroline Forbes, I'm a vampire and I've been around for nine hundred years, but don't worry I'll try _not_ to drink your blood and drain your body dry". Nowadays, humans are more suspicious and cautious towards the history behind the demons of the night because of the civilians of the 1864 vampire round-up had written journals about that year in history and who's to say that those journals are to be found and it ended up on the news internationally and placed in every history museum worldwide. But even Caroline watched the fallen Founders' Council members be buried in their coffins with their journals or their work was destroyed by fire in order to reduce the chances of people in the future ever discovering the popularity and reality of vampires. But no one can be so careful. Everyone in world could wake up one day, turn on the news to see the proven confirmation that vampires truly do exist in the present day amongst the humans. And all hell would break loose of a World War III between humans and vampires all over again.

Caroline already regretted getting up, having a shower and drinking a bag of blood before she walked out the door by the time is already one in the afternoon. She met up with Felix at Starbucks again and despite the same amount of alcohol they had both consumed the night before, he was visually showing it more than she was. His hair wasn't pushed back of to the side and out of his face, but now a few stray hairs fell onto his forehead. He had faded dark, purple shadows under his yes and his voice was groggy when he spoke, coated with sleep no matter how many times he tried to clear it.

Caroline stirred her frappuccino with her straw. "Sorry if I kept you out all night, gramps. Next time, I'll make sure to stay within your curfew zone."

He took a gulp of his coffee. "Hey, not all of us are party animals who stay out till three-AM."

She patted her shoulder, reassuringly. "It's okay, we were all beginners at some point in our lives. Some just late bloomers, I understand."

"Shut up. I'll show you, next time you come to Reidsville or I go to Mystic Falls, I'll show you that I'm this crazy, wild, beast prepared to party all night long."

For an obvious reason, she feared what would happen to him if he just 'showed up' in Mystic Falls one day. Especially with her crazy ex on the loose and his awaited arrival around the corner. "I'm sorry, but I can't wait until I'm a hundred." Caroline winked at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Do you always have an answer for everything?"

"Of course I do." She shrugged, nonchalantly. "What can I say? It's all apart of my charisma."

Felix laughed and shook his head with a cheeky grin. "Fair enough, but how you wound me with your words, little vixen."

"Oh, perhaps I'm forgiven, given that I took you on your dream date."

"Who ever said that going to a strip club and getting a lap dance was my dream date?"

Caroline tilted her eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not gay?"

He gives her an 'are-you-kidding-me' look. "You're killing me here, vixen. Could you wound my ego any further?"

"I'm sorry. But I promise, I'll be on my best behaviour tonight. And believe me or not, but my friend was right when she called me 'uptight and strict', she wasn't lying. I'm normally never this outgoing, fearless and... _unrestrained_."

It was his turn to tilt an eyebrow. "Unrestrained, huh? Could have fooled me. After last night and your very thorough idea of 'relaxation' and 'entertainment', there is no way you could ever make me believe that you are truly this docile and reserved person, which you claim to be."

"Well, I can assure you that going to strip clubs and taking pole dancing lessons are not a regular habit of my daily schedule. Believe what you want, but at least let me show you just how docile and reserved I can really be."

"Deal. Just try not to put me asleep before the appetizer, little vixen."

She winked at him again. "And here I thought _you _were the inexperienced one out of the both of us."

Felix didn't respond, he just gave her a sarcastic look with his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed together before he drew his attention back to his drink while Caroline had gotten lost in another memory at the most random moment.

_**Flashback (Spanish Renaissance - 1508)**_

_Caroline did not have to flip her body to see that he was awake, laying beside her in his massive bed. She had been awake for what felt like for hours, thinking it over and over again what her next big move was. And before she knew it, she was softly crying to herself, trying ignore the fact that she had just spent the entire night making love to the enemy repeatedly while the vulnerable Katerina was still out there, in all probability halfway to Russia by now. She was laying in his arms, trying to cry herself back to sleep but strong his arms had tightened around her waist. Caroline discreetly wiped the tears away, sniffed her nose and prepared for whatever was next to these unfortunate turn of events._

_His arms tightened around her narrow waist, bringing her body closer to his bare chest. Niklaus began to kiss the back of her neck, causing goosebumps to crawl up Caroline's arms. "Good morning, my sweet Caroline. I never thought I would live to see the day when you would be in my arms for another morning."_

_"Good morning." She whispered, weakly and avoided the rest of his words._

_"I shall call for breakfast in a moment, but for now, allow me to utterly relish in the fact that I have you back in my arms."_

_"Niklaus, I believe we should talk."_

_"You are ruining the moment, Caroline, with the importance tone in your voice."_

_"That is because this is important. We must talk about what we are to do now. What are you going to do with me?"_

_"Well, given that I refuse to kill you, and the fact we have proven last night that you cannot either, I will most definitely take you on to my travels with me. I have no more reasons to chase you, and you have no reason to run. I will never harm you, Caroline. I have always felt that way, no matter how many times you betrayed me."_

_"But I do not deserve your forgiveness, Niklaus. I never have. I have been living off the need for revenge on you, and I have failed and given up in that opportunity last night. I have never been so frustrated and enraged with myself that I could not do it. You do not understand, when one has been running for their entire existence and has been fuelled by the need to have their revenge, that is all they know. And once they revenge whatever they had set out for, they can only hope for peace and rest and normality in the end of it all."_

_After a moment or two, he finally muttered, "I understand, Caroline. More than you think you know."_

_Caroline flipped her body around so that she was laying on her other side and facing him, Niklaus relaxed his tight grip, but kept his arm around her in order to keep their faces were at least ten inches apart. "I have never told you this, but now seems like the best time to do explain my past before you. Ever since I was a child, my father never acknowledged me. If he did, it was just to scold me or discipline me with a leather belt if I ever crossed him. But my mother never did anything to stop him, unless he was publicly embarrassing me in front of the entire village, it was not out of her concern for my well being, it was to keep our 'the Mikaelson family is the perfect family' image in tact. Anyway, as I grew up with my five other siblings, our father never accepted me as his son. Our... relationship had worsened as I aged into my teenager years. I remember I was having a playful sword-fighting match with Elijah one afternoon, until my father scolded me for 'having fun' and was far from being impressed with my improving skills. He took Elijah's sword and swung at me with full force. I never wanted my father to fight my father and I did little to protect myself from his forceful swings. He eventually knocked me down to the ground, disarmed my weapon and held his sword to my throat. By then, everyone had witnessed that our family was not the perfect family as we set out to be. Everything had changed for the worse when he had found out that my mother was unfaithful to him with another man in the werewolf village we lived in. He hunted down my mother's lover, my genetic father, killed him and his family. Everyone had discovered that I was the bastard child. When my brother Henrik had died from the wolves and we were all turned into vampires, I never understood why he had me turned as well. At first, I hoped it was to surrender our feud, put our differences aside and finally be the 'perfect family' everybody used to claim us to be. But realistically, he must have turned me so that my immortal and continuous existence would be haunted by his wrath to hunt me down and kill me." _

_Soothingly, Caroline waited a few seconds to confirm he was finished with his story. She placed her hand on his cheek, which had eventually twisted from a relaxed expression to an infuriated look on his features by the time the story had finished. After she had touched him, he immediately pulled himself away from his torturous reverie and his face instantly softened as his eyes focussed on her before they had tiredly closed and his hand from her waist clasped over top of her hand. "As it turns out, we have both been running from someone we entirely fear the most." She whispered_

_His eyes shot open to see tears in her eyes. "Do not fret, my dear. You do not have to fear me anymore, for we are no longer enemies."_

_"Answer me. Was it your father who attacked my village and burned it to the ground because you and your runaway siblings had camouflaged in for shelter?"_

_"That is what I believe, yes. There would be no other enemy of mine who would commit such a crime with so-much collateral damage."_

_Caroline removed her hand from his cheek, her unshed tears evaporating as her eyes hardened with revenge and disgust. "Then, I must kill him. He is only half the reason why my family had perished in that inferno." She explained, sitting up onto the edge of the bed and quickly sliding on her clothes._

_"What do you mean, 'only half the reason'?"_

_She looked over her shoulder with her peasant skirt and tights already on her body and now, she was tugging her shirt on over her head. "Have you not noticed? You are the other half, Niklaus." Caroline said, coldly as she slid on her boots and stood up from the bed. "If you had never arrived at my village and we had not met each other, my family, my village and myself would have resumed living our human lives in peace and harmony and we would have expired out to our natural, human deaths. I would have been born a human and I would have died a human. And now, that has never been a greater dream for me than ever before."_

_Before she could defend herself or turn around, Niklaus had jumped out of bed with his vampire speed, pulled on his linen pants, spun Caroline around in lightening speed to face him and pushed her up against the opposite wall to his bed. Her fangs had clicked out of her gums and the veins below her eyes became dominant, but her eyes did not meet his as he held her wrists to the wall beside her head and leaned into to whisper into her ear. "Do not ever wish for that again. Do you understand? Because if I had never met you, I would have not lived as long as I have. I would have ultimately been found by or given myself up to the pursuer I once called my deranged father. The only reason I have woken up everyday, in hopes I would have you in my arms again reminiscent of when we use to while you were still human. Do not ever wish that we had never met, I will not stand for such a dishonest fib."_

_"I admit, Niklaus. If I had not met you, in reality, I would have been married to someone of high status that I had never met before, I would have been forced to have children with this man to keep his family bloodline intact and the peaceful union between both of our villages in one piece, I would have watched my children have their children until I would have died alone and prolonged of a dreadful famine or disease while my husband was killed during a war or was absent during his travels." Caroline said. "And if I were to speak in honesty, I would have regretted my uneventful and planned life because that was everyone's normal life as a woman. As a teenager, I would have wanted a life full of adventure and to wake up to something new everyday. But then again, this not the life I had wanted. I never wanted to run and hide for my entire existence. So do forgive me that this was not the life I had planned for myself and that in this moment, death caused by famine or diseased would have been a relief for me. At least I would be dead, gone and free of an endless life as your escaping fugitive."_

_Niklaus finally and slowly backed away from her ear, huffing harsh breaths of air onto her shoulder and in her ear. He revealed himself to her in his true form, but she was shocked see that his eyes were not clouded with red, surrounded around his beautiful blue eyes. His eyes were glowing amber with veins probing and creasing into his skin down towards his cheeks. She gasped at this sight, trembling at the sight before her. "My biological father was never human. He was from a werewolf bloodline. During my first kill to finish the transition into a vampire, I triggered my werewolf gene inside of me and it became dominant. My mother was a powerful witch in our village, she was the one who turned us into vampires. But the balance between nature would not allow two monsters collided into one body given that a combination of both monsters were stronger and deadlier than any ordinary werewolf or vampire to ever exist. My mother and other servants of nature placed a curse on me, diminishing my werewolf gene and abilities. I killed her for doing this to me, and everyone living in our village had scattered. All was left was Elijah and our sister, Rebekah. I never told them the truth because I knew I would be on my own if I confessed I killed our mother. But ever since that day, I have been hungry for more power that I knew I had confined inside me, I was determined on breaking this curse. I had fabricated my own curse to involve others. The Sun and The Moon Curse, where vampires are slaves to and weakened by the sun while werewolves are servants to the moon and can only transform on a full moon in the month. I made sure every vampire and every werewolf knew about this across the world, it captured their attention and need to hunt this doppelganger down, who was the foremost aspect to breaking the curse my mother placed on me. Whoever caught her would bring her to me alive and in hopes that I would break this sun and moon curse, whether it was vampire who wanted to be able to walk in the daylight while werewolves were still forced to transform on a full moon or whether it was a werewolf wanted to transform whenever they pleased while their enemies the vampires were still weakened by the sun. Either way, I would have the doppelganger to break my curse whatever species brought her to me."_

_"What else is there to break this curse of yours?" She whispered, breathlessly and taking everything in._

_"A witch would need to cast a spell onto the moonstone in order to break the curse, a werewolf and a vampire are essential to be sacrificed with their blood spilt over the moonstone. And then I would have to drain the life of the doppelganger on a full moon and on her birthplace in order for the curse to be broken."_

_"And I have taken that away from you. How could you not hate me, Niklaus? I should be dead. Tortured to death or burned until I am a pile of ashes. Whatever you decide, it is your decision, Niklaus." She sobbed with tears rebuilding behind her closed eyes._

_His features finally disappeared, his face returning to its original state. He hesitated to speak as he brushed the back of his fingers across her tearstained cheeks, his fingertips lightly sweeping across her temples, her eyelids, her cheek bones, her lips until his hand reached her chin. "Caroline." He whispered, calmly. "Open your eyes and look at me."_

_Her trembling whimpers of air continued and she finally managed to open her eyes to see his normal, peaceful and tender face and eyes. "This does not change anything. For the past five hundred years of your vampire life, you believed I was involved with your village's inferno. Everything changed for the worse when I had arrived in your village, it was easy to point the finger at me and I do not blame you for considering it. I appeared to be the most suitable reason that they were killed. I cannot lie to you anymore. I am still to blame for your village's inferno. If I were not selfishly hiding from my resentful father in an innocent human village and if I had told you the entire truth from the beginning, you would have still been a human and I would still be running from my father. I understand why you had taken Katerina Petrova from me. And now, I will not ask you to bring her to me to be killed by my hand because you had taken her under your care, despite my unwavering vengeance to kill her and my demand to hunt you down for questioning. But over the years, you have made the assumption to that whenever I did end up finding you, it would be to kill you. But you were always wrong to think that way, Caroline. If I wanted to kill you, I would have never met you. If I wanted to kill you, I would have never fallen in love you. If I wanted to kill you, I would have turned you into a vampire to be with me. If I wanted to kill you, I would have not spent the past five hundred years trying to find you. If I wanted to kill you by now, you would be dead. But I never will. You have always meant too much to me to allow you to die."_

_"But I am The Faceless Huntress, Niklaus. I am a hunted fugitive to every vampire in Spain. I am on every wanted poster throughout every city in Spain."_

_Surprisingly, he laughed light-heartedly. "Yes, you are. I have created those posters to bring you to me. Luckily, I was there to take you in myself."_

_"Why have you dictated these humans into fear and gave these hungry the right to take young humans into slavery for blood? If it was all for me, then it was for your personal gain, and I will not that happen anymore. Katerina Petrova was your doppelganger and she was born to be killed by you. I was born to reluctantly and faithfully marry a man I have never met before to provide him children until I died. I rebelled against my family and my nonnegotiable fate to be what I wanted to be. I wanted Katerina to know that she has options. Willingly being killed by you for your personal gain was the easiest option, not the only option. Sure, this lifestyle is much more difficult and unpredictable than giving herself over to you and obeying your rules, but it is better then dying and it is her life to live. Not yours to determine when and where she would die. I will protect the humans from your wrath, no matter what you throw my way. I did not turn Katerina into a vampire, but I might as well be blamed for it. I could have left her in Bulgaria as she wept over the murder of her innocent human family that you have caused. But I did not abandon her because she had always deserved to live her own life. Everyone has that liberty and privilege to do so the moment they are given life and nobody should have the right to take it away from them. Not even you. Everyone has control over their own life with the decisions they want to make, no matter who tries to tell them otherwise."_

_Niklaus stared at her dumbfounded, inches away from her face, enough for her to feel his hot breaths against her cheeks. She couldn't determine what he was thinking or what he would do now after her brave speech to him. "Have I changed your perspective over how you see me, now, Niklaus?" She whispered._

_He backed away, releasing her wrists from the wall and walking away from her. He rubbed his chin, thinkingly and speechlessly. "I will give you a day until tomorrow morning to flee Spain. I would have asked you to make the choice between myself and Katerina, but we both know who you would already choose. After today, nothing will change. You will still hate me for your family's inferno and run for me until I have captured you again to 'torture you to death'. And I will still love you and follow you to the end of the earth until the day I meet my own death."_

_She began to walk towards him. "Niklaus, I do not-_

_"Caroline, I am restraining myself from making you to stay by my side and forcing you to leave Katerina behind." Niklaus warned, backing away from her and to his desk along the wall across from his bed, turned around to write down something and then faced her again with a rolled up scroll in his hand. "Here is a document allowing you and Katerina to leave Spain. I will remove the warrant for The Faceless Huntress, I will force all of the vampires out of Spain, I will kill all the vampires who defy me, and I will step down from my authority over Spain. If you are gone by tomorrow morning, you have my word that everything will be back to the way it was in Spain."_

_She looked at the outstretched hand holding the scroll, unhurriedly walking towards him, reaching out and slowly grabbing it out of his hand. Before he could drop his hand to his side, she clasped onto his wrist with her other hand, pulling her into his body and wrapping his arms around him. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear with tears in her eyes again. He gradually returned her embrace, burying his face into her hair and inhaling her scent for the last time. A tear escaped his own eye and he removed her from the embrace before she witnesses him cry in front of her for the first time. "You should go." He said with his back turned towards her and his hands firmly on the desk in front of him._

_"Of course." She backed away from him and opened on of the doors. "I am so sorry, Niklaus. For everything I have ever done to you."_

_"As am I." He murmured, a tone below a whisper._

_With the loud bang of the door closing with Caroline behind it, his heart cried out for her. Everything within him kept him from running after her and forcing her by his side forever. But as she vividly explained, everyone has the right to live their own life with their own decisions. He would be taking away from freewill and he never wanted that for her. He wanted her to be by his side because she wanted to be there, but she did not. She ran again, and unlike the last time where he was sleeping during her getaway, this time he was very much aware and awake of her escape. And the unbearable pain that always and quickly followed it. But now that she was not here to see, he freely let the tears fall from his eyes as he watched her leave from his bedroom window._

_**Present Day (Reidsville, North Carolina - 2010)**_

After Caroline had breakfast, she excused herself to go pick out something fancy and more appropriate for a dinner since she hadn't brought any of her dresses from Mystic Falls, let alone did she own a dress. Before she left the store, Felix gave her his cell phone number for easier communication. For what felt like had been for hours, she looked and walked through the aisles of racks of clothes at some little boutique downtown and she finally pulled out her phone, looking for Felix's name before texting him.

_Okay, since I'm looking through my most appropriate and formal clothes I own, I expect you to wear something only I will like. _

A minute later, her phone vibrated. _So... I'm assuming the banana hammock, rainbow knee socks and fishnet shirt I was going to wear doesn't fall into the category of 'appropriate and formal?_

Caroline threw her head back and laughed. _Absolutely not! That's something you should have worn last night at a strip club!_

She walked into her dressing room with three more dresses and closed the curtain behind her just as Felix responded. _Are you saying that you WANTED to see me in a banana hammock, rainbow knee socks and a fishnet shirt?_

Caroline quickly thought of an answer so it didn't look like she had to think of something to say. _You caught me. Now I never will... thanks a lot!_

She tugged off the red strapless dressed, placing it back on its hanger before turning to the next dress she would try on. _Well, I could always make the exception and stick to the original plan._

Her eyes widened. _You wouldn't... I was just joking! Wear a nerdy sweater vest, a bow-tie and dress pants for all I care, just do NOT go to the most expensive restaurant in town and wear something that you would go to a strip club for!_

By the time she had decided on a dress, she walked to cashier ready to pay. _Calm down, my little vixen. I'll wear the nicest clothes that I own, just because you took me to a strip club on our first date and didn't wear a turtleneck and a plaid skirt to it. I've booked reservations for two for nine. I'll pick you up at quarter to nine, does that sound okay?"_

She smiled. _Sounds perfect. I'll see you then. :)_

When Caroline returned to her motel room, she had a shower, blow-dried her hair, French-braided the sides of her hair into a loose bun with loose ringlets framing her face. She had shaved her legs, applying body cream to them to make them look smooth enough to touch and see. She also applied very little, and less dramatic, makeup to her face, only adding powder to her face and a pale pink lip gloss to her lips. By the time Caroline was done, she slid into her plum purple, off-the-shoulder, cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline and that flowingly reaches to her knees. She slid her feet into a pair of black gladiator heels and grabbed a hold onto her yellow clutch before looking herself in the body mirror behind her door. Once again, Felix was on time and they had buzzed her down to the main lobby. Caroline took in his outfit, approvingly. He wore a grey dress shirt that had two buttons undone at the top, the color brought out his beautiful eyes, and he had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He wore black dress pants for below his waist and a pair of shiny dress shoes. His hair was back to the way it usually is and there were no longer dark circles under his eyes. He must have had a nap after returning from Starbucks to catch a few winks due to the last night's 'party hard' date.

His eyes were roaming the lobby until the fell on Caroline walking towards him. She wasn't surprised to see the same 'oh-my-God' look on his face. She stopped halfway to him, through her arms out to the side and slowly spun around, before continuing her walk towards him. He whistles and nods appreciatively until she stood in front of him.

"Seriously, Felix. You should really get that drooling dilemma checked out." Caroline deadpanned, suppressing a grin behind her lips and with her hands on her hips.

His face quickly twisted into a unimpressed look. "And I really think you should wear a garbage bag on our date."

"Why's that?"

"You do realize that no one's going to keep their eyes off of you tonight, right? Guys _and _girls, by the way. Guys will be drooling over you and girls will be entirely envious of all the attention you'll be unintentionally drawing in." Felix confirmed. "Then again, I bet you can even make a garbage bag look good on you."

"Felix Dawson, flattery will not get you anywhere." She scolded, walking past him and towards the doors, but she stopped midway and turned around. "However, I do appreciate the compliment and that you didn't show up wearing a banana hammock. You ready?"

He nodded. "Yeah, let's go before we're late and we will be forced to eat _out of _a garbage bag."

When they had arrived at the most luxurious restaurant downtown Reidsville had, Felix had checked their reservations to the hostess standing behind the front desk. The formally dressed girl in her uniform lead the way to their table, which was beside a window so that they had a view of the darkening streets of downtown. The hostess handed them their menus and left their table to return to the front of the restaurant.

But by the time she had, Felix had closed his menu and placed it to the side. Caroline looked at it before looking questioningly up at him. "Is something the matter?" She asked, confused.

"No, not at all. I come here with my friends for my birthday every year. I already know what I want to order."

"Oh, so you _do_ have friends other than me? Because if someone did, they wouldn't be spending an entire weekend with a stranger on vacation."

He looked at her, mockingly. "Of course I have friends. You know, I have a life before I met you yesterday. They just have lives, girlfriends, jobs, some have families of their own. My life isn't as exciting and eventful as theirs, so I'm use to going places and doing things on my own."

"Me too. I'm kind of a... lone wolf, do you agree?"

"Definitely. I've always been that way."

Caroline looked down at her menu, eyeing the choices of salads before deciding on one, closing her menu and placing it on top of Felix's. "So, what'll it be?"

"A Caesar salad with dressing, grated parmesan cheese on top and no crotons." She stated, fluently.

Felix looked at her, amused and baffled. She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I have this tradition that I every time I go to a new restaurant, I have to try their Caesar salads and compare them to the previous restaurants I've been too."

"Well, I hope this experience is the best out of them all."

"I agree. Now, what are you having?"

"The usual: fillet mignon medium rare and Vidalia onion rings with a side order of ketchup dipping sauce."

"Sounds delicious, and you get that _every year _for your birthday when you come here?"

"Absolutely."

After their waiter collected their menus, he wrote down their orders and they began to engage into a deep conversation. Ten minutes later, the waiter returns with their food, but they could hardly tell because they were halfway through a story of Felix's childhood. Like usual, Caroline kept her past and secrets to a minimum for two very important reasons. One, she didn't want to give away the obvious that her childhood was over nine hundred years ago, and two, she selfishly didn't want him to run if she let something suspicious out of her past. It was the first time in a long time that Caroline enjoyed herself for a weekend away from Mystic Falls. And after tonight for a minute, she even managed to forget to what she left behind in Mystic Falls. But everything changed when she felt the atmosphere in the restaurant suddenly change. It didn't take long Felix to capture Caroline's sudden adjust of expression from cheerful to anxious.

"Hey. Is something wrong with your food?"

She looks down at her almost-finished salad before looking quickly back up at him. "No. It's delicious, definitely the best salad I've ever had."

"That's good to hear, but I can tell that you're upset about something. What's wrong?"

"It's fine. I get weird vibes all the time. It's nothing to worry about."

"What'd you mean, 'weird vibes'? Caroline, your expression completely changed. One minute, you're laughing the fact that I use to have a bowl haircut and wear overalls as a kid, now you're all tense and nervous for some reason."

"I think we should leave. But that's all I can say because I don't know what's wrong either."

He took the napkin from his lap, dabbed it to his lips before cleaning off his hands. "All right. I believe you and I know when you're joking and when you're serious. I'll pay for the bill and we'll leave, okay?"

She nodded.

Felix dug out his keys from his pants pocket and placed them on the table. "Why don't you go wait in the truck and I'll meet you there?"

This time she was and looked hesitant to nod in agreement. But Felix quickly covered her hand with his on the table and stroked it with his thumb, smiling reassuringly at her. "I'll only be a minute. I promise."

"Okay." She smiled, timidly at him before slowly reaching out for his key and her clutch. _I should have told him by now, _she thought regretfully. _I should've told him what I was and who was after me, and now was probably here to collect. If my theory is correct and if he gets hurt because of me, I'll never forgive myself._

Caroline stood up, Felix followed her to the front of the restaurant to pay, but she left him there and walked to the door. Caroline walked through the parking lot, when she found his truck in sight, she didn't walk towards it. Instead, she shoved the keys into her clutch purse and discreetly pulled out the wooden dagger attached to her thigh hidden under the loose skirt of her dress. "Come on," she impatiently hissed through her teeth, "I don't have all night! Show yourself already!"

A sinister laugh echoed through the deadly silence from behind her, causing Caroline to spin around while her grip tightened onto the stake. Out of nowhere, the sound of heels clacking against the black cement and a young girl with black curly hair, dark-complexion and a evil smile on her. "So, you must be the famous Caroline I have heard so little about." She whispered.

"Who are you?"

"All you need to know is that my name is Greta, I devotedly work for Klaus and I am here to bring you to him."

Caroline instantly lowered her stake and laughed. "He got me all worked up, threatening to find me and drag me back to him, but instead he brings one of his followers. Tell me, did you agree to work for him willingly? Or were you seduced into his trusted inner circle of loyal followers by his charming words or was it by force?"

"I am not here to explain myself. I am here to collect what he has asked me to track down. Luckily, you weren't halfway to Russia by now. Saves me the trouble from teleportation."

She blinked, slightly shocked. "You're a witch?"

The girl, who appeared not a day over sixteen, nodded slowly.

Caroline snorts. "Then, you were definitely forced into an agreement with him. Witches have always detested the undead monsters of this world, even worse then the rivalry between werewolves. What could have he possibly offered you as tempting to give up your freewill?"

"As I've said, Caroline Forbes, I am not here to explain myself to you. It is none of your business. I do not know why Klaus wants you or what has happened in your past together, but I am suppose to capture you and escort you back to Mystic Falls unharmed." Greta said, who spoke very formal and solemn for her age. "Speaking of werewolves, do you not want to know where your friend is?"

She laughs, throwing her head back. "Are you insane? As if I would ever be friends with a werewolf. I hate them as much as I hate Klaus."

Her eyebrows shot up, surprised. "Really? Interesting. Well, then I would hate to disappoint you but... the friend with you were dining with tonight, is indeed a werewolf."

Caroline's heart stopped in her chest, clenching painfully. _Felix? _"You lie." She seethed through her clenched teeth.

"Don't believe me?" Greta asked before looking over her shoulder. "Maddox! Show us his true form."

Suddenly, a man much taller than Greta, in his early twenties with short, light brown hair and very dark eyes appeared behind her with physically and mentally disoriented Felix in his arms. Maddox forced Felix onto his knees, placing his hand on Felix's head before mumbling a Latin spell. _Another witch_. Before Caroline knew it, Felix was on all fours and growling harshly. Maddox yanked his head up by his hair, forcing him to look up at Caroline. She gasped at the sight, no longer looking into his beautiful silver eyes but his eyes glowed with amber and his canines pierced through his gums. After another minute of this sight, Maddox snapped his fingers and the amber in Felix's eyes faded and his canines retracted back into his mouth. He returning to his kneeling position, looking at Caroline's astonished face with regret. "Caroline...," Felix whispered with regret in his tone. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't fret, wolf boy. She doesn't win the 'Most-Honest-Person-In-The-World' award either." Maddox snickered, wickedly.

Before Caroline could back away, Greta captured her in spell, paralysing her body and painfully forcing Caroline's fangs out of her gums and her eyes became clouded with red and veins creased down her cheeks. Felix looked up with her with wide-eyes of betrayal before Greta's spell wore off, but due to Caroline's anger, her external vampire traits and her true form stayed visible for everyone to see. "I'm going to kill you." Caroline hissed, she threw her stake at Greta, aiming for her heart and the speed of the stake was as if it were a bullet shot out of a gun. But before it could reach her, Maddox stood in front of the witch and slowed it down with another spell, stopping it in midair before he telepathically turned it around so that the point was now facing Caroline.

Greta's eyes widened. "Maddox, don't! We cannot harm her, it is Klaus's utmost rule and command."

Maddox hesitantly allowed the stake to drop to the ground with a clang. "Then, let's get the hell out of here. I am sick of the atmosphere in this town." He grumbled, injecting Felix with a needle of wolfsbane. It was an excruciating, but fast way to put him to sleep. Caroline didn't want to run away, it was something Katerina would do. In 1508, Caroline managed to find Katerina in their home with their backed bags at the door. She apologized for running when Niklaus found them, but she made a promise to never leave again. That night they fled Spain without looking back. It only took Katerina sixty years later, when she had complete control over her bloodlust urges, did she leave Caroline again to roam the world on her own. And this time, Caroline didn't follow her.

But Caroline refused to leave Felix behind. She owed him that much for not being honest with her. She allowed Greta willingly to inject vervain into her system with a needle, but since that did not fall under Klaus's rules and Caroline's body was barely effected by the deadly herb, they simply put her to sleep with a spell. Caroline fell to her knees, falling over onto the ground onto her side and her eyes shut with a sudden tiredness and everything went black as night, worriedly awaiting what would happen or if she would truly see him again. Caroline didn't know what to suspect when she returns to Mystic Falls.

**live2write123: sorry to those who ACTUALLY thought Klaus would show up in person to bring Caroline back to Mystic Falls, but i promise... it's not me, it's HIM who loves all the suspense and prolonging his long awaited arrival to Caroline's life in the present! i swear! okay, maybe a little bit of me :3 but it just wouldn't be Klaus if he didn't strike fear into everyone's hearts and keep everyone on the edge of their seats for his arrival. i remember watching the episodes, how they talked and explained about Klaus, showed a few flashbacks to capture our attention and anticipation, and then they go and put him in Alaric's body for goodness sake! and then suddenly when he finally stepped out of that box, i swear my heart stopped beating. that's all i'm trying to achieve here :). two points i would like you to remember is that:**

**one: yes, Klaus let Caroline go willingly :'( and for a long time, he didn't capture her and only kept an eye on her within distance range to make sure no one would hurt her, but then... something apart of Caroline's past and in Klaus's absence triggers Klaus to resume his hunt for her and her explanation, which his search for her continues from like two hundred years after he let her go to the time where Elijah saved her from Klaus in New York to the present. but it was for a new, dark reason that he grew disapproval and resentment towards Caroline.**

**and two: Klaus is LITERALLY just around the corner ;) until next time, good morning/afternoon/evening/night (whatever time ranges you all are in :P) everyone! love you all and see you next time! :D**


	21. Chapter Twenty

**live2write123: hey all of you Klaroline fanatics! thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourite-d, followed, and read the last chapter. ever since i branched off into my own path, i've been getting a lot of responses so i'm glad to hear that you're all liking this story so far! and to those who continue to support and contribute to this story is just as appreciated! **

**ps. this chapter loosely (barely) covers Know Thy Enemy because the first half is mostly Caroline losing consciousness and regaining consciousness a day later. but anyway, spoiler alert! i'd just like to warn you that someone does dies in this chapter :(. i really couldn't hold it back. i just had to warn you before you continued reading. but please don't stop that from reading! find out what happens and WHO it happens to.**

**pss. i'd just like to say that some people don't like the flashbacks while others LOVE them. i'm really sorry, but i can't please both parties :(. this entire story is and is going to be half based off of what happened in the past and the other half is what's going to happen in the present time. the only thing i can do to make everyone happy is by a compromise: adding a few flashbacks in each chapter AND as well as what's going in the now. but other then that, thanks again for all of the support and please review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy! :D**

**Chapter Twenty: Rendered Speechless**

_**Present Day (Lynchburg, Virginia- 2010)**_

The effects of a witch spell that renders one utterly unconscious for long periods of time, they entirely rejected and disregarded Caroline's vampire nerves and muscles as she woke up in the back of a transport truck, her hands and feet shackled to one of the sides of the walls of her traveling prison. She groaned, her head ringing with pain and her body refused to move. She felt as if someone had drugged her drink, it took her a minute to wonder where she was, but it eventually came back to her like a wave of water. Caroline's heavy eyes looked around the narrow, but empty cargo space apart from a few stacked boxes in the corner. Across from her and chained to the other wall, was sleeping, and slightly snoring, Felix. She gasped, thinking that the witches, who captured her on her dinner with him, would have erased his memory of everything that happened and put him to sleep for the night. They would have done it if he was human and innocent. But they didn't let him go because of something that Caroline didn't suspect at all. He's a werewolf. And that was why they brought him with them.

As if on cue, Felix groaned awake. He slowly pushed himself off of the ground and rubbed his eyes, tiredly. But he gasped, dropping his hand to the ground and jumping back further into the back after he saw he was bound to the wall in shackles and chains. His eyes slowly focussed on Caroline, but the confusion and fear in his eyes were gone when he realize he wasn't alone. And everything turned for the worse when his eyes were now filled with fury and annoyance. "What's going on?" He asked, despite his facial expression.

"The witches are taking us to Mystic Falls." Caroline explained, duly and tried not to cave in and apologize as much as she wanted to.

"That's not what I meant, Caroline. You never told me you were a vampire."

"And you never told me you were a werewolf, so I guess we're both even."

"Not quite. If I hadn't met you, I would still be in Reidsville and not caught in the middle of this vampire bullshit."

Caroline didn't expect him to say that. Not those words, exactly at least. She understood he was angry, and he had every right to be, but she didn't want him to _regret _meeting her. No one should, because everything happens for a reason and meeting him happened for a reason. "Look, I understand that you're mad, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry you were dragged into this. But you didn't exactly explain yourself either. We mostly talked about your life and childhood for the past two days. You've had every possibility to tell me the truth, but you left out the part that your family are werewolves."

He smiles sarcastically, but very coldly. "Forgive me if saying I get hairy and turn into a uncontrollable wolf every full moon is not the biggest pick-up line."

"Yes, but honesty is what woman are seeking for in men, let alone a new friend."

He snorts, rolling his eyes. "True, but us _men_ expect the same."

Caroline sighs, impatiently. "Us arguing like this won't get us anywhere. Now, since the full moon is around the corner, you're not going to be able to save us. And since I'm a nine hundred year old vampire, I suppose I'm saving both of our asses."

"It's the least you could do, since you brought me into this mess in the first place."

"Or I can just let them to use you for what I think they are going to use you for."

"And what are they going to use me for?"

"You really want to know? A sacrifice. The person behind this is a thousand year old vampire who has spent that long trying to break a curse placed upon him. He needs a vampire _and _a werewolf's blood to break it. And I don't imply a drop of blood, but all of it."

His face freezes with fear, the same look he had when he watched Caroline's face forcefully changing into the traits of a vampire. His worst enemy. But just like Katherine, his expression alters into a triumphing look as he crosses his arms over his chest, the chains attached to his shackles clinking while he did. "If that happens, I will bite you beforehand and you will die a slow and painful death."

"I believe you wouldn't have it in your heart to do so successfully if given the chance."

"Don't underestimate me. You know nothing about me."

"I know you wouldn't go off to war like your brother did due to your overprotective parents and leave your defenceless little sister behind in the process. You think of others before you think of yourself. You made a compromise to leave your parents, but to still keep your life intact and the distance between yourself and your sister to a minimum. You care, Felix. Whether you like it or not."

"That doesn't mean I care about you and your safety. When I saw your face change, I couldn't believe it. I wanted it to be a dream. I wanted to pretend that I was sleeping after that night spent at the strip club. I actually liked you because you made me feel normal and you didn't make all our conversations about yourself. You listened and understood to me and what I've been through as a kid."

"Fine, you know what? I will not beg for your forgiveness or waste my time apologizing over and over again to feel sorry for not telling you the truth because for all know, none of what you told me could be the truth. We're naturally born enemies. Let's just keep it that way and fend for ourselves, all right? You'll jump at the chance, throwing me into the fire if it means your life is spared in the end. I get it. I've been there before. I've been used and deceived a hundred times. It won't matter to me if you do the same."

For the first time, his features softened. "Caroline."

"You want the truth from me? When I was first turned into a vampire, barely a century later, I was captured and taken as someone's prisoner. The person abused me, starved me, used me for sex and fed on me to gain power from my blood into theirs. I wasn't as nearly as strong as my captor, I was weak and confused and bloodthirsty and vulnerable. I have been running from my past ever since I became a vampire, so don't accuse me if you think I was given the easy way on a silver platter. I didn't tell you the truth about me because I wanted to feel normal and carefree, and you made me feel that way for two days out of nine hundred years of escaping and hiding and panic." She ended her sentence, watching carefully to his stunned and speechless expression. "You wanted to know the truth? There it is. Now, it's up to you whether you want to or not."

"That's why you reacted the way you did when that jerk grabbed you at the club. It brought back memories of your past."

"After I was released, I always wondered why I was but then I realized after I slaughtered countless villages due to my burning urges and the unavoidable bloodlust I had suffered for months during my imprisonment, the person who starved me wanted to watch me kill innocent people while they begged for their lives to be spared. I was his entertainment until he got bored of me and left. I managed to snap out of it after my tenth annihilation, got back onto my feet and trained myself for centuries to make sure I never slipped up or was treated in such a terrible manner again. I've managed to recover from the fact that I killed hundreds of people, so I started saving them and teaching young vampires how to control their thirst and urges to redeem myself for taking so many lives. Forgive me if I was hesitant to letting you in on lifetimes worth of my fugitive existence."

"Caroline," he whispers pityingly that causes Caroline to cringe, "I'm so s-

"Don't. That's another reason why I didn't tell you anything about my life. I don't want your pity. I just want you to know that I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, I only wanted a weekend of normality away from my world of unexpectedness no matter what would have happened these past two days, and I'm sorry I dragged you into my mess. I also

want you to know that whatever happens, I'm going to make sure you make it out of this alive. Like you said, it's the least I can do for you. All I ask in return is your assistance and confidence."

He nodded, enthusiastically. "Of course."

Suddenly, the truck comes down to a slow stop and a hissing indicating that the truck is parked somewhere. Caroline listens for the witches as they unbuckled their seatbelts, opened their doors, hopped out of the cabin, closing the doors behind them and kicking the dirt beneath their feet while they walked to the back of the truck. The pushed open the back door of the box truck, revealing the darkness behind them.

"Just thought we would let you both know that it's been a day since we left Reidsville. We made a few stops while you were both still passed out, but we'll be on the road again at the break of dawn." Greta explained.

"Where are we?" Caroline asked.

"Lynchburg. Two hours away from Mystic Falls."

"And we're guessing you are keeping us in these chains?" Felix snarled.

Greta smiled. "You guessed right. Temporary motels are not for prisoners." And with that, she walked away. Caroline believed Maddox followed her, given that she uninterestedly looked away from him, but he didn't. Maddox hopped inside the truck, walking over to Caroline and stood tall over her sitting body.

"Can I help you?" Caroline asked, exasperated while looking up at him.

"You tried to kill us last night with your stake. It's time for a little payback."

"Hate to break it to you, but that's not in your job description. I am to be left unharmed, correct? Or your lives will be to pay for it." She taunted.

Suddenly, the witch heaved her to her feet by grasping onto her hair to look her in the eye at eyelevel. Felix protectively jerked in his chains, clattering as he tried to reach her but was forced against the wall by Maddox's hand that wasn't tangled in her hair before Felix could get to her, spelling him there and preventing Felix to interfere. "Don't be smart with me, bloodsucker. It doesn't matter. I'm probably going to die of overexertion after this curse Klaus has forced us all to volunteer in. And besides, I'm not going to hurt you. Just going to make the rest of this trip excruciatingly difficult." He places his hand on her head, closing his eyes before mumbling a Latin spell incoherently. Before Caroline could ask what was happening to her, she didn't need to because she could feel it. A bubbling and churning sensation in the pit of her stomach, a burning at the back of her throat and inside her gums, a growingly unbearable migraine pressuring against in between her skull and her brain, a tingling sensation on her fingertips and on the tips of her toes, and her skin felt as if it was on fire. When he finished mumbling, he released her from her hair, dropping her to the ground. She withered on the ground with all of her energy drained, her fangs penetrating and exposing through her gums, blood-red clouding around her normally blue eyes, and the veins were creasing down to her cheeks.

"W-What d-did y-you d-do t-to m-me?" Caroline stuttered every word.

"I made you for what you really are." Maddox triumphed, crossing his arms over his chest. "A bloodthirsty monster. I hope you're in the mood for werewolf."

On his way to exit the truck, Felix dropped to the ground after Maddox stopped forcing him against the wall. "Don't try anything, wolf. I'm not forcing you to turn, like I did to huntress over there, because you didn't fight us." Maddox walked out of the truck, closing the large vertical sliding door closed and locking it, leaving Felix to barely fend for himself against the crazed, bloodthirsty, unpredictable, and weakened Caroline.

After for what felt like for hours, she groaned. "Don't worry, Felix." Caroline hissed through gritted teeth. "I know what I have to do."

"What are you going to do?" He asked, shaken and petrified at the same time.

"I don't want you to see me this way. Go to sleep and everything will be fine." Caroline struggled but managed to speak quickly.

"Caroline, I-

"Trust me. I need you... I need you to trust me now more then ever, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"Just close your eyes and everything will be okay again."

Felix slowly obeyed her, but it took him thirty minutes to physically relax and to fall asleep finally. Caroline repeatedly banged her head against the wall she's been sitting against, squeezing her eyes shut. It brought back too many memories: human after human, village after village. This is what she gets for opening that old wound again.

Felix woke up, alive and in perfect condition, to the sound of rasping intakes and shallow exhales of air. His blurry sight eventually focuses, he sees a dark red liquid slowly trailing towards him, causing him to jump up rather than sit up in a sitting position, his eyes following the blood to find that it was Caroline's and her uneven breathing that had woken him up. She was leaning against the wall, like a rag doll struggling to sit up straight, her arms, legs and chest were covered with deep scratches as blood dripped out of her wounds as if she had been wrestling with a pride of lions. During the night, every hour should would reopen her wounds with her nails after her fast healing would try to close them. It distracted her from ripping Felix's throat open while he was sleeping, his steady heartbeat and blood flow tempting and taunting her simultaneously every second.

He crawled towards her, avoiding the blood on the ground, his chains letting him go as far as he could. "Caroline, what the hell are you doing?" Felix snapped with mixed emotions: anger, surprise, worry, confusion.

She smiled, weakly up at him with tired hooded eyes. "I told everything would be okay again."

"But what is this?" Felix motioned her body with his hands.

"I had to distract myself, cutting my skin and reopening them every now and then. It prevented me from killing you all night."

"Well, you're okay again, right? You don't have the urges, right? And you certainly don't have to repeatedly cut yourself anymore, right?" He asked, anxiously.

"That witch has control over me as well as this spell. My bloodthirst will not subside until he releases me from the spell he placed upon me." She smiled that weak smile again. "But it's okay. You're okay and they will die for this."

Felix upper lip curled with fury. "But that doesn't mean you'll survive this in the end. If you won't will end this, then I will." He grumbled.

He stood up to his feet, walking towards the opposite side from the truck's door, the wall where Greta and Maddox were behind and driving the truck. Felix's hand clenched into a fist, he knocked loudly three punches on the wall. "If you value your lives, you'll pull over and assist Caroline."

"And why would we do that?"

"Because she's bleeding out on the floor and her wounds are not healing."

There was a moment of silence. "You're lying."

"I swear. Would Caroline _really _go after me, or would she resort to self-infliction to resist the urges? You tell me. Believe what you want, but she won't survive another hour of this." Felix explained. Triumphantly, the truck pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. The witches hastily opened the truck door and their eyes widened at all of the blood and the bleeding Caroline cradled in Felix's arms.

Greta turned to Maddox. "What did you do?"

Maddox nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "I just wanted to teach her a lesson. I didn't think the girl was suicidal."

"He's going to kill us." Greta whispered, absentmindedly.

"Not if we heal her." Maddox grumbled, climbing into the truck, separating Felix from Caroline forcefully, and eventually kneeling beside the haemorrhaging vampire. He removed his spell on her, causing her to fall unconscious into a deep sleep.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia- 2010)**_

The next time she woke, she was in a unfamiliar bedroom and everything was back to normal with her. Her migraine was gone, her breathing was stable, her fangs were finally back in her gums, her skin wasn't on fire anymore, and she was entirely back to normal again. Except the fact that she could barely move, her arms and legs ached every time she tried to move. But according to the morning light leaking in through the bedroom window that she was staring at, it was day again. She slept for an entire day again. Four days, tomorrow being the fourth, she had been away from Mystic Falls and her friends. She wondered if they were worrying over her whereabouts given that her visit to Reidsville has been two days extended then she originally planned on staying. But then it hit her. Felix. Where did those witches go? And what did they to him?

She tried to sit up, but a familiar voice came from the left corner of the bedroom. "At least attempt to resist moving so much." Maddox's voice demanded. "You'll reopen your wounds again."

"Where's Felix?" Caroline hissed through gritted teeth.

"He's in the old Lockwood cellar, chained up and ready for the sacrifice."

Her eyes widened. "No! You can not use him for the sacrifice."

"And why not? It saves us the trouble from hunting Tyler Lockwood down and dragging him back here for his death."

"Felix is innocent in all of this. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be in this mess. Use some random werewolf around the world, for all I care. Just don't use Tyler and Felix."

"It's not my call. It's all up to Klaus."

Caroline's heart stopped beating at the sound of his name. "Where are we?"

"That history teacher fellow? The vampire hunter?"

"Alaric Saltzman? Why are we in here?"

"Because Klaus doesn't want to make his stay official. He wants to get here, break the curse, and be on his way as far from Mystic Falls as possible."

_That is NEVER Niklaus's style. He takes no greater joy than staying in town longer then everyone hoped for and he would wreck havoc of it until there was nothing left. _"Release Felix." Caroline tried again.

"I'm not the boss here, vamp. Whatever Klaus says, I do. And he hasn't told me to either keep the wolf or let him go. I won't let him go until Klaus says I can. I'm already on thin ice as we speak, so don't try anything that would upset him even more."

"I bet you would just_ love_ to kill me, wouldn't you? I'm surprised I'm stable again, especially when you forced a thirst inside of me to come alive again, the same thirst that I have tamed over the centuries. But your plan backfired. There was no way I was going feed on Felix just to surrender to my thirst. I'd rather die then drag an innocent into my problems. But don't worry, sweetie the feeling's mutual. When I get the chance, I will kill you. No mistake about it."

"Good thing we're on the same page. I underestimated the selflessness and humanity you still have remaining in you after all of these centuries. Honestly, I know that you are very important to Klaus, but my curiosity is buzzing."

"Don't look at me. Have your _master _tell you the truth. What has happened between him and myself is just that. Between him and me. So, it's none of your business and certainly not your place to snoop unnecessary history."

Maddox just grumbled in disagreement, crossing his arms over his chest and sulking in the corner of the room. Caroline looked down at her clothes, she was still wearing the dress she wore on her dinner with Felix. "Hey, can I shower and get some new clothes to wear? I assume I'm a prisoner here, but the least I can do is smell and look good for Klaus."

He eyed her, suspiciously. "Go ahead."

Caroline slowly got up from the bed, struggled to stand on her feet and walk to the walk-in bathroom beside Alaric's closest as Maddox watched her carefully until she closed the door behind her and locked it. In her reflection, her dress was dirtied with patches of blood and dirty, as well as her skin. Her makeup smudged like a clown, the braids that were intertwined into her loose bun had fallen out, and now her hair looked like a gold halo of knots. Caroline twisted on the shower, stripped out of her dress and stepped inside the shower. At first, she kept the water at a temperature or two below a warm room temperature due to her scratches, which had healed completely but they left behind dark pink lines covering her body. She's never felt so relaxed, let alone enjoyed a shower so much then she does at this moment. She washed her hair three times, her body gently twice before she twisted off the shower, stepped out of the shower and wrapping a towel around her body. She towel-dried her hair, French-braided it back and out of her face before returned to Alaric's bedroom. Caroline looked through his closet, managing to find an oversized, black t-shirt and matching loose jogging shorts that were aligned with her kneecaps. She collected the loose hem of her shirt and tied a knot tightly at her hip to make the shirt less... massive.

Caroline warily left the bedroom, to find Maddox pacing the floor with his cell phone attached to his ear and Greta was sitting on one of the couches with open grimoires spread across the coffee table. The girl looks up at Caroline and smiles. "It's good to know that you survived."

She leans against the doorway of "We both know that's not true. Keeping me alive means keeping both of you alive. If we weren't tied to this situation together, we would be at each other's throats. Speaking of, do you have any blood for me? Or are you offering?"

Greta shook her head. "Maddox will find a girl somewhere in this deprived little town and bring her back for you. Then, you can have your fun."

"I thought witches and warlocks, the servants of nature, don't approve of or encourage innocent humans for a vampire's enjoyment."

"But that's just it. We sold our souls to Klaus and we have to summon very dark magic to break this curse. Hence is why we won't be the same after this experience."

"You look awfully familiar. Do you have any relatives?"

"I have a father named Jonas, and a older brother named Luka. They've been trying to find for months, but they are mistaken. I do not want to be found."

"Witch, you make me sick. You betrayed your family to be apart of this man's madness."

"It was not my choice. I either had to go with Klaus or be killed. And I'd rather turn against everything I've ever known then be killed for defiance."

"And that is where our morals contradict each other. But I do not directly drink from humans. I prefer my meals in blood bags from a hospital's blood bank."

"I don't believe I gave you an option."

"Then, starve me. But do continue to dig yourself a deeper grave, your 'master' won't be very happy with you to find me starved."

Greta's lips hardened into a tight line, her eyes ablaze with fury. "Maddox, will you stop by the hospital?"

Maddox sighed, running his fingers out of his hair and tugging on it. "Fine." He said, exasperatedly leaving the apartment and slamming the door behind him.

"Happy?" Greta snapped.

Caroline smiled, cheekily. "Thank you." She turned around to find something that she never saw at first. Alaric. Tied to a chair and his head hung low due to his unconsciousness. "What the hell is this?" Caroline retorts at Greta, pointing her finger at Alaric.

She smiles. "Klaus needs him."

Caroline suddenly rushes towards Greta with her vampire speed, grabbing her by her throat and slamming the witch's body against the glass coffee table, causing the delicate table to shatter into a million pieces. "I kill you for involving everyone I love in this pathetic curse to be broken. You're even more pathetic, spitting on the graves of all the witches who were killed in the past for the mystical powers that they were helplessly blessed with at birth. You do deserves your powers, and I could take them away, I would indefinitely."

"I'm only the messenger in this." She gargled, weakly.

"I believe killing the messenger sends the most effective message. Now, I understand that there is a spell placed in the doorway of this apartment. I want you to bring down so that myself and Alaric can leave without any interferences."

"And if I don't?"

Caroline smiles as she licked her lips. "I'll have to settle for you then that blood bag." She lets the witch go and as Greta stumbles to the door due to shards of glass in her back, Caroline rushes to Alaric, unties him and carries him out of apartment while Greta temporarily brought the spell down, long enough for Caroline to walk through it.

By the time Caroline reaches the Salvatore's house, the house was empty. She puts Alaric's sleeping body on one of the couches in the living room, before she pulled out her cell phone to find endless missed calls and text messages from Damon. Finally, she decided to return the gesture.

She waited two rings until he answered. "Caroline?" He asks, baffled as if she was the last person he expected to be calling him.

Caroline sighs, relieved. "Hey Damon."

"Where the hell have you been? You were suppose to be back two days ago."

"I was kidnapped by Klaus's witches in Reidsville. I don't know what you're doing right now, but I need your help. Klaus's witches took Alaric today, knocked him out unconscious. But I brought him back to your house and he's still unconscious. I don't want to leave him here alone and vulnerable just in case Klaus comes by to finish him off."

"Okay, I'm outside of the Witch Burial Grounds. I'm on my way. Just stay put, okay?"

"All right. See you."

Damon hung up first and Caroline ended her call, placing her phone on the table beside Damon's prize possessions: his Bourbon collection. She removes the glass cork from one of the fancy bottles and pours half into two rocks glasses. Caroline took the two glasses with her on the way to the couch opposite to Alaric, sipping one of the two glasses leisurely. Five minutes later, Damon entered the house and didn't even bother closing it behind him. Caroline stood up as he walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her and she returned the alarmingly gesture. "Damon, you okay?" She asked, mumbling into his shirt.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He said, steadily. "I'm just glad to see your okay, Care."

"I'm here now, okay? I'm not going anywhere." Caroline laughed. "I even went through your Bourbon collection to pour us a reunion drink."

He released her from his embrace and laughed with her. "Thanks." He said, picking up the glass on the table and finishing it off on one gulp. "I needed that." Damon set down his glass before looking into her eyes and then awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Look, about the kiss-

She raced her hand, stopping him from going any further. "Don't worry about it. It's already forgotten, Mr. Impulsive." Caroline teased with a genuine smile. "I know you haven't heard a lot of positive things about you in your life, Damon. I'm just glad that I could make you happy, even if it was for just a second."

Damon smiles. "Thanks Care. And you did." A sudden gasping noise pulled them out of their little bubble, Alaric had finally woken up, but it wasn't because he was in a deep sleep or under a spell that the witches put on him. He was killed by a broken, but woken up by his Gilbert ring that brings him back to life after a supernatural individual. Alaric gasped out of the afterlife, jolting upwards into a sitting position and his eyes wide with confusion and shock. Caroline immediately rushes to his side, trying the shush him so that she could explain the situation that happened while he was... unavailable.

"What happened?" Alaric asked, groggily and rubbing his temples with his middle and forefingers.

"One of Klaus's witches snapped your neck, brought you back to your apartment and tied you to a chair, awaiting for your reawakening. Luckily they had me captured during my visit in Reidsville and they brought me back to your apartment as well. I _kindly _requested for his witches to break down the barrier keeping everyone inside, long enough for me to escape with you." Caroline explained. "Do you remember what happened before they did kill you?"

"I was on my way to my car, Isobel was there and she was apologizing to me for some kind of closure or making amends, but it was all just a distraction to let, supposedly, that witch to snap my neck."

Damon groans, irritably. "Who are these witches, anyway?"

"Assumingly, one of them is a man in his early twenties, short dark hair, a very serious expression. His name's Maddox, but he appears stronger than the other witch. She's a dark-haired girl, not a day over sixteen. Her name's Greta Martin, Jonas's daughter and Luka's younger sister. You know who I'm talking about, Damon. The warlock that helped us escape those werewolves before I left town? Greta's his daughter and that's why he was tied up with Elijah, in hopes to get her back from Klaus." Caroline said.

"Yeah, speaking of, we may have killed him." Damon mentioned, innocently.

"What?" She asked, shocked.

"After we invited Elijah to dinner, we daggered him with dagger dipped in the White Oak ash. His body's in the cellar, but the Martin witches tried to cast a spell on Luka to invisibly look through our house to find Elijah. When the dagger just magically levitated out of Elijah's chest, I killed Luka by burning him alive through some invisibility spell. Jonas was vengeful, and since Elijah's compulsion to keep Katherine in the tomb worn off after he was daggered, she was released and we killed Jonas the other night."

Caroline sighed. "Wow. I'm not even gone for a week, and I've already missed so much."

Out of nowhere, Damon's phone rang with a caller on the other line. He answers it and walks away. "Can I get you something to drink?" Caroline asked Alaric.

"I'll get some water in a bit."

"Okay, well I have to go somewhere, but I didn't want to leave you alone, so I waited for Damon. If you have to somewhere safe where Klaus hasn't been invited in yet, go stay at the Gilbert's."

"Bad idea. Jenna's not very happy with me right now."

"It's life or death, Ric. She'll understand. Or stay at the sheriff's house for the night. Klaus needed you for some reason and I doubt he'll give you a second chance."

Alaric nods. "All right." He pauses, observing and familiarizing with Caroline's loose-fitted clothes and chuckles. "You're wearing my jogging clothes?"

Caroline looks down at her outfit, but looks back up at him, smiling bashfully. "Yeah, if you've worn clothes and haven't showered for two and a half days, then you can tell me how you'd jump at the chance to shower and change clothes. I'll give them back to you, dried-cleaned and ironed before I do."

He nodded. "Fair enough."

"Thank you. It'll put some peace in my mind if you do."

Damon hung the phone, rejoining the twosome. "Hey, Isobel attacked John Gilbert at this award Elena was accepting in the name for her mother. I got to clean this up. Both of you, be careful, all right?"

"Of course. I have places to be, but I'll see you ladies later."

Before Caroline left, she returned to her bedroom upstairs, relishing in the sight and familiarity of her surroundings. She got changed into a pair of black stirrup leggings, a royal blue tank top and a red cardigan. On her way out, she stuffed shoved a wooden dagger in one of her flat, knee-high leather boot.

Caroline drove her car to Isobel Flemming's foreclosed house, the home she was temporarily residing in her last few stays in Mystic Falls. If her gut was correct and if her memory recollected precisely, then she should feel completely confident in herself that she was right about this. But she was absolutely after she watched Katherine enter the house, masquerading as Elena with straightened hair for some reason. Caroline got out of her car after parking it in the driveway, walking up to the door and just as she was about to turn the doorknob, she heard a conversation with Katherine on the phone with Isobel.

_"Are we good to go?"_ Isobel asked, distantly.

_"I'm at your house, but we have to hurry. Damon knows your lodging tricks. It'll take him all of twenty minutes to find out where you're staying." _Katherine explained.

_"We'll be long gone before that."_

_"Good. How far are you?"_

_It took a minute for Isobel to respond in a softer tone. "I'm sorry, Katherine. I had to do what I was told. He wanted the moonstone and he wanted you."_

_"He? He who?" _Katherine asked, thrown off guard, but Isobel had already hung up on her and just like that, the door swung open with a nonexistent breeze with Maddox standing behind Caroline and Caroline caught in the middle between.

"Caroline?" Katherine whispered, astounded.

But Caroline's weren't on her, they were on Maddox, who was slowly walking up the stairs. "Are you here to get even for Greta? Or to drag me back there?" Caroline asked, cautiously.

"Neither. You're not on my hit list. But I can't say the same thing about that friend of yours that you so heroically refused to feed from. I'm hurry if I were you. Greta's not an impatient individual."

Disregarding what Maddox had in store for Katherine and believing that he was there to collect Katherine, Caroline ran to her car, reversed out the driveway and drove towards the old Lockwood Cellar where Felix was hopefully still breathing and alive. She drove her car down the small dirt roads through the forest as far as she could go, realizing that night was just around the corner and the sky was darkening by the hour. She deserted her car in the middle of nowhere and ran the rest of her way there with her vampire speed, running down the steps to terribly dark, dusty underground space with barred doors, scratches along the rocky walls, and chains and bolts and shackles hanging from the ceiling, floor, and walls. "Felix?" Caroline cautiously asked into the darkness.

"C-Caroline?" Felix rasped, weakly.

Caroline followed the voice to the far corner, crouching to the sandy ground beside him. He was in heavy chains, keeping his body against the rock wall with shackles and tight chains. Felix was still dressed in his grey dress shirt, but this time it was completely unbuttoned, exposing his chest and the sleeves were loosely around his bounded wrists, his hair was disorganized again and falling into his beautiful eyes, he still had his black dress pants on but it had patches of her blood and dirt from the long travel, and his feet were left bare. "It's me." She nearly cried at the sight of him. "If only we hadn't met, none of this would have happened."

"Don't think that. I take everything back what I said before. If I've chosen differently, I wouldn't have had two amazing nights with you."

"Here. I took a bottle of water from my house." She unscrewed the lid and tilted the bottle to his lips, which he drank all of it until it shrivelled up noisily. "Maddox told me Greta was here to finish you off."

"She isn't. She hasn't been here since she tied me up here."

_Then this was a trap._ Caroline's eyes widened at that realization. "Felix, you need to get out of here."

"What about you?"

"This was a trap. Maddox lured me here under false pretences to get me to come and save you. But Greta's not here, so it has to be a trap."

"Then we'll both leave."

"No, I need to know."

"I'm not leaving you again."

"You're going to have to." Caroline dug in her pockets for her keys. "Here. My car's about half a mile from here. Just keep walking straight and you'll find it. Drive to a near by motel, sleep off tonight and regain your strength. Tomorrow, get on the first flight to Reidsville or drive back to your home, okay? Listen to me and do as I say. Maddox wanted me here for a reason, I don't want to involve you anymore then I already have."

He physically looked torn. "If you don't call me by tomorrow morning, I'm coming to find you."

"I promise I will." She pulled on the chains, breaking them off the wall and snapping his shackles in half. "Now go," Caroline kissed his cheek, "before you lose your opportunity."

Felix looked at her, wrapping his strong arms around her narrow body into a comforting embrace, which she instantly felt safe in for the first time. "Thank you. I've never felt so fortunate to have met someone before in my life."

With that, she smiled, turning halfway around as he discreetly and quickly left the cellar. "Well, isn't he the romantic type." An awfully, skin-crawling, familiar voice whisper along with a low chuckle coming from the corner diagonally opposite to where she stood, she spun around. This immediately wiped the smile off of her face, replaced with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, her palms instinctively curled into fists for defence. Her heart fluttered, her body was set ablaze awakened again, her unnecessary breathing erratic and unstable. "But if I were to choose his romantic ways over your selflessness, I would most definitely choose you, Caroline."

Caroline slowly turned around to the voice, her eyes squeezed shut, terrified that if she didn't open her eyes, she would realize that this wasn't a dream. That she would actually see him in person after five-hundred-years of hiding and running. This was it, and if Caroline were to be honest, she didn't know what would happen to her after this prolonged, but expected reunion would finally, but regretfully occur.

"My dear, just because you refuse to look at me, does not mean you are going to wake up from this nightmare any time soon. For that your greatest nightmare, is my furthermost dream come true."

She kept her eyes closed as she seethed through her teeth. "Just kill me and get it over with. After all of the misleading messages you have been sending me, just finish what you came here for and have your revenge."

"Who am I to grant you such gratitude and kindness? After everything you made me endure for half a century." He said, genuinely effected by the damage Caroline had caused in the past. "You know Caroline, it has definitely been too long since I've last seen you, since you last left me again. I've changed over the decades and I've learned from my mistakes underestimating people in the past. Are you curious to know what was my biggest mistake in my existence?"

Within every word he spoke, his velvety British-accented voice sounded closer to her ears, which meant he was slowly advancing towards her and that caused Caroline to backup against the wall behind her. "No, but I'm sure you'll enlighten me."

"I let you go and allowed you to walk out of my life, Caroline." He said. "Now, I've never come around to accept that fact lying down. So if you will look at me, love, I will tell you what is different between then and now."

She slowly opened her eyes, visually taking in everything new and the same about him. His short, wavy dark blonde hair, the amusement and desire in his sky blue eyes that any woman would get lost in, his naturally rosy and plump and memorably delectable pink lips that was almost constantly curved up into an annoyingly pleased smirk, his unforgettably leanly-fitted body and the muscles that were in all the right places, his alluring low and husky British-accented voice that captures everyone's attention, his charming and evident dimples that every women would swoon over if he ever finally looked their way, the more-than-two necklaces he daily wears loosely around his neck, his short stubble beard that always used to itch at Caroline's nose whenever he used to kiss her forehead. "This time will be different. I won't ever let you go this time, Caroline. _You. Are. Mine_." He emphasized every world, his eyes burning with certainty and determination as he leaned into her face with his broad chest against hers, close enough that he could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. Caroline stared into the man's eyes she never truly believed she would ever see again. And now that she had, she was rendered speechless. And even more so, breathless at the reminiscence of how dangerously beautiful he really is.

**live2write123: *evil laughing* FOOLED YOU! no one dies you silly-nillies ;). i just wanted to be dramatic for a moment and get you all pumped up to read this chapter to the very end, and to those to who did, air high-five! but i really hope you enjoyed Klaus and Caroline's first encounter in the present time :$ it took me a while to think when, where and how they finally meet after five hundred years! anyway, until next time! au revoir fellow Klaroline fans! :D**


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**live2write123: hey everyone! i'm so sorry for the delay! for once, this week has been really hectic. on monday, my childhood sweetheart added me on facebook and we've been talking and skyping this entire week! i haven't seen him since like junior or senior kindergarten, so that was a nice surprise! tonight i'm going to the movies with my sister to go see that new ice age movie! (don't judge -_- :P, everyone needs to watch a bit of their childhood all over again). anyway, onto the chapter!**

**ps. another reason why this chapter is delayed is because it's fourteen page on microsoft and SPOILER ALERT: there is a good three to four page Klaus and Caroline scene in continuation to the last bit of the previous chapter. once again, personally, i think Klaus's motives with Caroline are very clouded in this chapter because one minute he promises something to her and the next thing she knows, he breaks it. their relationship has never been a walk in the park (understatement of the year -_-).**

**pss. thank you to everyone who favourites, follows and reads this story! a special thanks to everyone who has continuously reviewed this story as well! you know who you are! but above all else, without any of you, this story wouldn't have made it this far, so thank you again for making this story possible. your support + happy me= more updates! please review, alert, favourite, comment, and most of all, enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Twenty-One: True Colours**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia)**_

Caroline knew that if she didn't do something quick and effective, he would take advantage of their current position: him sandwiching her with his body against the rock wall of the old Lockwood cellar behind her. And if Caroline remembered correctly, his face wasn't as close a minute ago as it is now, close enough that she was sharing her breathing space with him and his calm inhales and exhales of breath were lightly fanning her cheeks. His head tilted to the side, curiously and followed her every movement every time her face would turn away from him. "Do I make you nervous, Caroline love?" He asked, innocently.

"Never. I have never been afraid of you, Niklaus. It's just the fact that for as long as I can remember, I never knew or understood what your true motives are. I'm curious to know what you'll do with me, now that you have me in your grasp."

"You're wrong. I don't have you. Not completely. Because if I let you leave tonight, you will retreat to those new friends you've made ever since you came back here. And I could think of a lot of things I want to do with you , but right now, I would truly like to privately enjoy the time being in your company, without any interruptions or distractions."

"Then, do you mind giving me some space? You can 'enjoy my company' with some distance between us. I mean, you _have_ been watching me and stalking me for five hundred years. It just comes naturally for you, doesn't it?"

"I've always preferred close proximity with you, my sweet. I can see how it has an effect on you as much as it does to me. But you're wrong about one thing, I have people who have watched you on a daily basis and then they would report back to me every evening after my dinner. I am a busy man, Caroline, only once every week have I checked up on you. But either way, I knew what you were doing seven days a week."

"You really couldn't find anything better to do? For five hundred years, you could have found a girlfriend, an innocent girl, to lure into your trap and turn her so that you wouldn't be alone anymore, even if you had to lie to keep her. Oh wait, doesn't that sound familiar to you as it is to me? Can you think of anyone who you've lured, trapped, filled her head with fantasies, and fed her lies to keep her at your side? Because your looking at her."

"Darling, when are you ever going to let go of the past and forgive me, as I have chivalrously forgiven you countless times?"

"When I finally get the last night hundred years of my vampire existence back from you. But you took everything from me. My mortality, my family, my sense of right and wrong, my freedom. And you wouldn't know chivalry if it hit you in the face."

"How badly do you want to hit me in the face right now?"

"At the moment, extremely. But I'm restraining myself as we speak so that don't suffer under your wrath. Again."

"I remember your human father was a warrior and he trained you, against your mother's wishes of course. But even then, you've always defied everyone's rules and followed your own. Right now, I will willingly allow you to hit me if it satisfies you."

"I can't, I know I won't be able to stop and I'd prefer not to kill you on the spot given that your witches would never make me forget it. And don't you ever dare talk about my family! You are half to blame to why they are dead, as I am the other half."

"Have I struck a nerve? An Achilles' heel? Oh Caroline, I thought I taught you better than that."

"I have indeed learnt something useful from you. I've learnt that love is a vampire's greatest weakness. And _I _am not weak." She hissed through gritted teeth.

This through Klaus completely off guard, his constant smug and teasing expression was wiped off his face, his amused smile faltered and it replaced with a solemn and slightly confused reaction as his mouth formed into a tight line. "How did you know that?" He whispered, almost sadly.

"I know a lot things about you too, Niklaus. While I was watching over Katerina, I was watching you. For weeks, I made sure that this was something that meant everything to you, and I wanted to take it away from you. One night, I overheard you talking to Elijah about love after you suspected him to be falling in love with the Petrova doppelganger. Our love must have meant nothing to you, if it was a weakness to you. Because if I remember correctly, you've never stood for weaknesses." Caroline finally managed to push him off her, shoving his body against the opposite wall with her hand tightly wrapped around his throat. "I'll let you in a little secret. You're weakness, Niklaus, was my ultimate reason to be strong. I would not be a deadweight, so I made sure I would never fell into the depths of your cold, insensitive, cruel heart again."

Klaus revealed his vampire traits, his fangs exposed, his eyes reddening, the veins weaving out from underneath his skin. He gently shoved her off of him, tossing her body to the ground and hovering over her with his hand at her throat. "Not strong enough, sweet pea." He teased.

She growled, somehow managing to head butt that connected with his nose, a temporary snapping sound as if she broke his nose. Caroline took this as a distraction, rolling in the sand gain and flipping her body on top of him so that she sat on his stomach with her long legs other either side of him. "I'm sorry, you were saying _who_ wasn't strong enough?" She triumphed.

Klaus smiled, approvingly up at her. "I stand corrected. But love, a word of advice: never lose your eyes on the prize." He said, and with that he reversed their positions again, holding down by her wrists to the sand and his legs straddling her hips to keep her legs from moving. "You know, that's the key, love." He lowered his head to whisper in her ear. "Always keep your eyes on the prize no matter what. I constantly have and look where we are now."

"I'm done with these little cat and mouse games, Niklaus. I want you to leave me alone and stay away from me. I want to live the rest of my existence alone and as far as away from as possible."

"Oh sweetheart, if you continue to tell me these lies, you will start to hurt my feelings."

"Cry me a river, Niklaus. I could care less about you and your 'supposed' feelings."

"Really, Caroline. You should sincerely and thoroughly wash out that cheeky mouth of yours. As much as I adore your lack of respect, I preferred not to have any of it right now. We both know that you care about me, love. Vampires have a stubborn tendency to say and do things they don't mean. But in reality, it doesn't matter what we say or what we do, we know what we feel. But others don't, so that is our advantage."

"And I strongly feel that I hate you. I have for the past half a century."

"You lie, Caroline. And I won't tolerate for liars."

"Why would I lie when I could tell you the truth? It's always better to tell the truth rather than get caught up in lie. Or do you refuse to grasp the fact that I don't anything to do with you anymore. The least you can is let me go."

"I did. Numerously and repeatedly. But I am not letting you go again."

"Are you going to force me to stand by you? To become one of you faithful servants who do your dirty work. Or worse, your murderous partner in crime once you break this stupid curse of yours."

"I would never, my sweet Caroline. Do you know me at all? I could never strip you of your freewill. My approach to have you on my side will be because you want to be there. I remember, oh so long ago, you taught me that everyone should be given a choice. I'm giving you the choice to either come with me willingly or I could always resort to seducing you. We both know how easily persuaded you can be."

Caroline kneed him in the stomach once when her leg broke loose from underneath his hold, strong enough for him to lose his grip around her wrists and strong enough to push his body off of hers. "I fell for that once or twice or a third time, but it won't happen again. A few moment of weaknesses, but this is different." She stood up from the ground, dusted off the sand from her clothes and looked down at Klaus laying in the sand on his back before tucking his hands behind his head and crossed an ankle over another. "And besides, I have better things to do then roll around in the sand, bickering about the good old days with you."

"Speaking of stripping, I picked through the wolf's head and found some interesting images I never thought I would ever witness that side of you, Caroline. Is that how you occupy yourself nowadays? Visit strip clubs with werewolves?"

"You-You saw that?"

"While your friend was unconscious, I went through his most recent memories and found you. And may I say that you look absolutely delectable in purple, dear. Even more so while you were singing and twirling around a pole, but then again, you were always the seductress no matter what choice of clothing you wear. Or preferably no clothes at all."

"I was having fun this weekend. For once. And Felix was there to accompany me. Fun is something I don't do on a regular basis, unlike who have women throwing themselves at you no matter where you go just so that you can look at them."

He sits up from the ground with a devilish glint in his eye. "I sense a hint of jealousy in your voice, Caroline. Don't tell me that you're true colours are showing."

"Niklaus, I have never been one to hold you back from doing something you would carry out with or without my consent. I've never tried to change you or convince you to 'be the better man'. If you want women falling at your feet, be my guest. I just refuse to watch you trap another innocent in your web of destruction." Caroline was prepared to leave the cave and to never look back, but he had already beaten to it. Before she could escape, he was on his feet and in front of her, blocking her way. "Let. Me. Go. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Until I believe your words and I look into your eyes to see the truth. And until you understand the fact that I am not letting you go ever again. I made that mistake three times in our past. Once when I left you behind in your village's inferno, the second time was in France, and then the third time in Spain. Ever since then, I've been hunting you down because I wanted you by my side. And for another particular reason."

"What other reason?"

He hesitated, looking into her eyes before he shook his head. "We will discuss that later. After I break the curse, I plan on leaving this armpit of a town. I can only hope that you would accompany me this summer, but of course on your own freewill."

"You will be waiting for an awfully long time for that to ever happen."

"I have been waiting nine hundred years for you, Caroline. What makes you think I can't wait for another nine hundred? If anything extremely useful you have taught me is patience and I have been very patient. I've woken up every day a patient man, but one day I might wake up intolerant towards your refusal to be on my side and I will have to keep you by force. At least I'll have you. But I can assure you that it won't be an option until you have given me no other options to consider. Right now, I need to make sure you will not get involved with my plan."

"I have no interest in getting involved with your curse. I already did once and look where it's gotten me. Absolutely nowhere."

"That's a good girl. Now, I have places to be and people to see. And I will see you later, love." He leaned towards her and lightly kissed her forehead. "I am very happy to see you again, my sweet Caroline. Let's not be apart from each for this long again."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the vampire hunter's apartment. You may want to inform him that I will be staying in it until the curse is broken. I was going to use his body to make my awaited arrival more dramatic. However, I could not stay away from you for another second, Caroline. Nevertheless right now, Maddox has confirmed that he has successfully captured Katerina Petrova in his net. What a delight. I wonder what I should do to make her suffer for all of these years. I'll make herself useful and get some answers out of her." He bowed courteously while backing towards the entrance of the cellar. "Good night, love. Until next time."

Caroline watched him leave, and with him gone, she felt she could finally breathe and her body function properly. He was here. And he didn't kill her. But that only made her safe, not everyone else she loved in Mystic Falls. The question now was, who was he going to kill next, and how many times does it take Caroline to provoke him so far to the point where he wakes up one day with the urge to erase her existence from his life? Caroline could only hope and be thankful to live to see another day.

_**The following morning...**_

By the time Caroline woke up in her bed at the Salvatores, she felt happily and completely rested for the first time since she arrived in Mystic Falls with Katherine. It was as if she returned home from a long trip away, and last night she just couldn't wait to slip in between her bed sheets and fall asleep in a bed that she recognized. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Last night, after she returned from her reunion with Klaus, she returned to the Salvatores and called Felix to make sure he was okay and to assure him she was, too. He said he would mail all of her clothes in a box to Mystic Falls when he returns to Reidsville, which he must have by now given that he drove the six hours during the night. Caroline slept throughout the entire night, and could have slept during the entire day, but Stefan and Damon handed over the deed to their house to Elena so that she can control which vampires can be invited in and which have to be left out. In other words, Klaus.

A knocking on her door went through her senses during her light sleeping. "Caroline," Damon's voice chimed. "Time to get up."

"Five more minutes." She grumbled, like a human child or teenager who wanted to sleep in a little longer before getting up to get for school.

"The lawyer's here to sign over the house to Elena, so unless you don't want to suffocate in here, I'd get up and wait outside with us."

Caroline sighed, sitting up and kicking the blankets off of her body. "And of course you picked the day after I was kidnapped, starved and toyed with, to do this?"

His eyes averted to the alarm clock on the bedside table before returning to look at her. "It's ten o'clock, Care. You're never one to sleep in. If anything, you're always the first to be awake." He handed her a tall glass of blood.

She gladly took it and drank a sip from it. "Well, after an exhausting four days, I thought I deserved to be spoiled a bit. _That_ notion went down the drain."

"By the way, you're gonna have to tell me what happened in Reidsville. Because I can tell that something juicy happened and I wasn't there, so I missed it and you need catch me up."

"If you let me sleep when Elena invites me back in, which she will because if she doesn't I'll just have to unfortunately burn this beautiful house down, I'll tell you all about my little adventure."

"Deal." Damon said, he outstretched his hand to help her up.

"I'm fine, Damon. I'm not some china doll. I'll have you know that I'm one tough cookie."

"I know, but even you shouldn't be kidnapped by witches, Care. The same goes for Alison after she was kidnapped by werewolves, no matter how annoying she is."

Caroline rolled her eyes, taking his hand and he hoisted her off the mattress. "You turned her. Too bad, so sad."

"Rest assured, one of my many mistakes."

She narrowed her eyes accusingly at him and punched his shoulder with a bit of force. "You don't mean that. If she were human during her kidnap, she wouldn't have survived."

He rubbed the spot where she punched him and started rolling his shoulder backwards. "Remind me to never get in a fist fight with you."

"You'd better not. Because we both know I can kick your ass."

Damon and Caroline met Stefan outside the front of the house on the porch. She felt underdressed, literally. All she was wearing was an oversized t-shirt that would normally fit a man. She continued to tug on the hem of shirt so that no one, and by no one she meant Damon or any other peeping Tom, would see anything underneath. It didn't help the fact that she was in front of their house who anyone can see her state. But on a side note, Caroline shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, not exactly for what she was wearing anymore. Stefan and Damon were talking about killing Klaus, and Caroline never told them about her little run-in with him last night. She didn't want to listen to this conversation, afraid that she might blurt out something that she would regret. The Salvatores would probably use her to lure Klaus into the open to be killed. It just couldn't be an option. _Why couldn't everyone just make peace with each other? And since when did I get trapped in the middle of their war? Oh yeah, since she volunteered to protect everyone in this town._ Caroline thought to herself.

"You really think Bonnie can take on Klaus?" Damon asked his brother, sceptically.

"She said she could channel enough witch's power to kill him. Elijah thought that would work and he was an original."

"We just need to find Klaus."

Stefan nodded. "Yeah."

_He's closer than you think, boys._ Caroline thought, but didn't say a word.

"Do you think he killed her?" Damon asked in a soft tone.

He took his time to think what he was going to say. "Katherine? Probably."

Damon shrugged. "It's not like she didn't have it coming." He whispered, but Caroline could hear a hint of sadness to his tone. "Wait, Could Bonnie do one of those witch tracking spells?" Damon suggested.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Nope. Not without something that belongs to Klaus."

"We could use Elijah's blood." Caroline piped in, but mostly voiced her thoughts.

Much to her distain, they heard her. "What'd you mean?" Stefan asked.

"Well, Jeremy is Elena's 'brother', biological cousin, right? When you tracked Elena down after Rose and Trevor kidnapped her to Reidsville, you used Jeremy's blood to find her. Their not directly related, as brothers and sisters would, but they're still related."

"We could try it. Would it work without un-daggering Elijah, though?"

Caroline shrugged, looking down at her feet to avoid staring at the Salvatores. "It's worth a shot." She mumbled.

Suddenly, and perfect timing, Elena opened the door, thanked the lawyer and walked away, forgetting that they couldn't walk in without her consent. "I'm sorry. I completely forgot." Elena said, turning to Stefan and Caroline. "Stefan, Caroline. Would you like to come inside my house?" She asked with a smile, purposely leaving Damon to stand outside alone.

"We would love to. Thank you." Stefan said, the barrier in front of them diminishes and he freely walks inside while Caroline followed closely behind him.

Elena looked at Damon. "What are we, 12?" He asked, cheekily.

"One of us is." She said, her tone serious. "If I let you in, do you promise to obey the owner of this house?"

He snorted. "No."

Elena sighed. "Seriously, Damon. My way. You promised. I call the shots. No lies, no secret agendas. Remember?"

"Yes, Elena. Sure." Damon said, tediously.

"Then please, come in." She said, stepping aside to let him in.

On his way to the living room, he passed Caroline, who was suppressing a grin, and Stefan, who didn't hide his emotions and smiled from ear to ear mockingly. "Shut up." Damon grumbled.

"Thanks." Elena said after Bonnie handed over her jacket.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan asked, confused.

"To school." She answered, as if it was the most obvious explanation.

"Huh?"

"No, no, no. We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it."

"Yeah, guys, Klaus is out there. We know that."

"Right, but where?" Elena asked, rhetorically. "No one knows. Look, I really appreciate what you guys are doing. And I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that I'll be safe here, but I'm not going to be a prisoner." Her eyes look to Damon.

He bits back his tongue. "Your way, Elena." He says with difficulty.

"Don't worry, I'm ready." Bonnie reassured everyone. "If he shows his face, I can take him. I know how."

"The way I see it, next to Bonnie is the safest place that I can be." Elena turns away and Bonnie follows.

Stefan looks at Damon, who throws his hands up in mock defence. "Wait, I'm coming." Stefan said, regretfully.

When Caroline and Damon were left alone, Damon walked towards his Bourbon collection. "You're awfully quiet." He says with his back turned towards her.

"I'm just tired. I haven't slept well in the past few days." She partially lied.

"Want a drink?" He offered.

It took her a minute to decide. "Screw it. Sure."

Damon looks over his shoulder, his eyebrow tilted. "I never took you for a day drinker."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Pour the drink, boozy."

For what was rest of her morning, she caught Damon up with her little adventure in Reidsville. She told him about the strip club, Felix, the date, the witches who kidnapped her. But Caroline purposely avoided confessing that they were Klaus's witches. She didn't want him or any of them to know that she was connected to their biggest enemy. It was like a girl blood related to a troublemaking brother. When everyone found out that the troublemaker was her brother, everyone would immediately think differently of her. And that wasn't what Caroline wanted anyone else to think of her.

After their girl talk, she had a shower, got dressed into jeans, a green camisole with lace trim, and her denim jacket. She decided to stop by the school to talk to the school's principal to be a chaperone and if should sing a 60's song or two for the annual Decade Dance tonight. Luckily, he was very persuasive and happily agreed to her requests. Before leaving the school, the students were on their lunch break and Caroline had to ask Elena and Bonnie if they were interested in going shopping for the dance. She found Bonnie talking to Jeremy Gilbert sitting and talking about something that Caroline couldn't help herself listening into.

She blocked out the rest of the chatter around her and listened into their conversation over everyone else. _"Did you tell Elena what it's going to take for you to do that Klaus spell?" _Jeremy asked.

_"No, and you're not, either."_ Bonnie declined.

_"Well, she's gotta know you can't do it."_

_"You don't know I can't. Have a little faith in me."_

_"That's not fair. You can't harness the power of a hundred dead witches. It'll kill you."_

_"Shh!"_ Bonnie hushed him, looking around to see if anyone heard him. _"We don't know that for certain. You promised to my secret, I'm trusting you. I'm going through with this, and if you tell anyone, I swear..."_

_"What? What are you gonna do?" _He asked, but she just looked at him. Jeremy stands up with his school bag when Elena approaches the table with a tray of food. _"Hey Jer. How you doing? Are you okay at the house alone with John?"_ Elena asks him.

_"It's not ideal."_ He muttered, shrugging on his backpack.

_"You haven't heard from Jenna, have you?"_

_"It looks like she's staying on campus. I'm late for class."_

Elena watches him leave and she takes her spot sitting next to Bonnie. _"What's wrong with him?"_ She asks the witch.

_"I told him he had to dress up tonight and he got all uptight."_ Bonnie lied.

_"Oh, I see."_ Elena laughed.

Caroline took this time to talk to them. "Hey girls."

Both of them looked up and were equally surprised. "Hey Caroline." Elena said. "What're you doing here?"

She took a seat beside Bonnie. "I had to talk to the principal to know if he needed a chaperone for the dance tonight. Speaking of, we should go dress shopping for that."

"When should we?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, right now, if you want. Unless you have something important in your next classes. And besides," Caroline lowered her voice, "I lived through the 60's. The least I can do is help you pick out something great from that era."

"I don't know..." Elena wavered her decision.

"Hey Elena," A girl with dark hair suddenly said, "there you are. Okay. This is going to sound freaky, but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you're going to the dance tonight."

"Tell him she has a boyfriend, Dana." Bonnie muttered.

"You could at least meet him. He'll be at the dance tonight. Look for him. His name is Klaus."

Caroline's heart stopped, she looked at Elena and Bonnie, before looking up at the girl named Dana. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" She asked, confusedly.

"His name's Klaus." Dana repeated. "I know the name's stupid, but I swear he's hot."

Bonnie looks around the cafeteria. "Where is he? Is he here?"

Dana looked down at Bonnie, hesitated to think of her next answer but she seemed completely dazed. "I don't know."

"She's being compelled." Bonnie confirmed.

"But he wants to know if you'll save him the last dance. How cute is that?" Dana asked, excitedly.

Caroline sighed, rubbing her temples with her index and middle fingers. "That's adorable."

"Shopping anyone?" Bonnie piped in.

Elena just nodded, eagerly and the three girls were off to Caroline's car.

When the three girls arrived at the costume shop downtown, Caroline was deadly silent. Everyone was. Klaus had made his first move, and as much as Caroline wanted him to stay low-key until the curse had to be broken, it wasn't possible to try and convince him to be discreet and invisible for the time being. But Caroline hoped to take the shaken and flustered girls away from their problems for an hour or two and do what girls do best when in a crisis. Shopping.

While Bonnie was trying on a cute orange long-sleeved abstract dress, and Elena was busy trying on a v-neck purple dress with different shades of squares and circles, Caroline was occupied, zipping up a gold, 60's cocktail dress with medium-sized black polka dots on it, a sweetheart neckline, and a black sleeveless sheer neckline. She loved the dress, it was tight around her bust and narrow waist, and at the hip the skirt of the dress had vertical folds in the dress that resembled a ballroom skirt, but the dress reached just below her knees. When she turned around and away from the mirror, she jumped back to see that she wasn't alone in her changing room. Her wide eyes met Klaus's sinful and amused blue ones. Hastily, he pushed her up against the mirror on the door, wrapped one of his arms around her waist, trapping her arms to her sides, and the other cupped her mouth with his hand to prevent her from making a sound. Their bodies were pressed against each other, his face barely an inch away from hers.

"Caroline?" Elena's worried voice arrived at the other side of the door. "Are you okay?"

Caroline pleaded with her eyes, silently asking Klaus to remove his hand so that she could talk. He rolled his eyes and obliged, removing his hand from her mouth, but he pressed his index finger against his lips, signalling her to not give anything away. "Yeah, I'm fine." Caroline answered once her voice was stable to sound nonchalant. "Did you like your dresses?"

"Yeah, we love them. Me and Bonnie just paid for them."

"That's good to hear. Hey, how about you two wait for me in the car? I'll be out in ten."

"Sure."

Klaus waited until he heard the door to the store open and close with the chime of the bells above the door to tell when people are entering and leaving the store. He chuckled, huskily, returning his stare to Caroline. "That's my girl. And here I thought you were going sell me out on your new friends."

She glared at him, wiggling her way out of his arms. "I almost did. What the hell were you thinking, compelling a student to send a message to them for you? Why were you even at the school, anyway?"

"Calm down, Caroline. I was substituting her history class for the vampire hunter. The school called his apartment, they left a message asking if he was coming into the school for his classes. I decided to facade as a substitute for the time being and then they asked me to be a chaperone to be a dance tonight. I didn't want to be rude, so I agreed. And besides, I couldn't help myself. I just had to lay my eyes on the new Petrova doppelganger."

Caroline groaned, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"I know, but it's one of the things you love about me." Klaus teased. "Just as much as I have always loved getting under your skin, Caroline. Is it working? Am I under your skin?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sadly. You just have to be more careful. That's all."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want them to know that we have a past. The last thing I want to find them out is that I've been lying to them this entire time."

"Aw, Caroline. Are you feeling guilty for lying to your friends? It's such a deadweight to carry around. Feelings, emotions. They make me sick just thinking about it. How about I help relieve you of those petty little human feelings of yours so that you can truly embrace your vampirism?"

"Over my dead body, Klaus. Just promise me that you'll stay away from everyone for the time being? When the next full moon comes around, _then_ you can make your awaited arrival. But for now, just let them live their normal lives."

"It's as if you don't know me at all, Caroline. You and I both know I can honestly make such a promise. They don't even know what I look like and I've never introduced myself to them as Klaus, the most powerful vampire in the world trying to kill Elena Gilbert, so they never suspected me. Relax, Caroline. I will not kill anyone for the time being. I'm just having some of my harmless fun."

"Yes, but you can have fun all you want on the night of the full moon. Please do not give me a reason to retaliate, Klaus. You know I will go down dying to protect these people. They are my friends. My family. And I promised to protect them from anyone and everything that decide to cross us. Katerina, Elijah, even you. Even if it kills me."

Klaus's eyes softened, he reached out and gently stroked her smooth cheek with the back of his fingers. "When did you become so protective, love? Katerina informed me this morning that you were no longer associating with her because you chose to protect and side with these vampires and humans of Mystic Falls over your five-century friendship with her."

"Katerina has caused enough trouble for me. She was always my friend, but I was never hers. She would have used me as shield against you if it meant that her life was to be spared in the end. I recently finally learnt that she will never change her selfish ways and from then on, I refuse to associate with those who tend to betray me more than once."

"And you wonder why I have never killed you when I could have dozen of times in the past. Maybe it's your big heart that you feel towards everyone around you. Or maybe it's because you never needed me for anything in your existence, Caroline. You were always entirely strong and fiercely independent on your own. You never expected me or anyone to teach you how live on your own."

"I had to if I wanted to make it in this world. I learnt that the hard way, too, after you fled my village so many years ago." She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Anyway, I'll make sure that they don't un-dagger Elijah as long as you don't harm anyone until the night your curse is to be broken. Okay?"

"Fair enough. You have yourself a deal. But I hope to see you at the school's dance tonight, love."

He slithered his body between the opening of the curtain and disappears. Caroline took a minute or two to slide of her dress, get changed into her regular clothes, pay for the dress and head out to her car. "I'm sorry I'm late. The had to find another dress of the same kind. The one I tried one had a rip in it." Caroline lied after sliding into the driver's seat of her car.

"It's okay." Bonnie said with a smile.

"Stefan called me, worried to know where I went. He told us to hurry to the boarding house and meet him there." Elena said.

_Oh boy._ "Okay. Let's not keep him waiting."

After the trio returned to the Salvatore house, both Salvatore brothers scolded Caroline for taking them out. But she reassured them that she was a nine-hundred-year-old vampire and that she could take anyone. Caroline stuck around as they confirmed that Bonnie could channel enough power to kill Klaus, and after Caroline eavesdropped on her conversation with Jeremy, Elena and Stefan didn't know that she could die from this. But Damon looked to be on the same page as Bonnie with the knowledge that this was a fifty-fifty chance she could die.

When night took over the sky and it was time to get ready for the dance, Caroline curled her hair into loose ringlets and left her bangs straight. She applied little makeup to her face, dramatic eyeshadow with a bit of mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss, before she pulled on her dress and gold, platform heels. She stared at herself through the body mirror just as Damon stood in the doorway, wearing a black unbuttoned dress shirt and flared leather pants.

"Hey stud-muffin." Caroline teased. "I'm loving the leather pants, by the way."

"I can totally pull these off, can't I?"

"Of course. All of the 60's hippies will be all over you."

"You're one to talk, Care. You look great."

"Thanks. I volunteered to chaperone, but I'm also singing a song on stage from the 60's."

He nodded, approvingly. "That's great news. What were you doing in the 60's?"

_Running and hiding from Klaus._ "I went to every Beatles concert. What about you?"

Damon looked at her with a devious, up-to-no-good look. "You probably don't want to know."

She quickly shook her head. "No, you're right. I don't. Have Stefan and Elena left already?"

"About five minutes ago."

"What's going on tonight? Is it true? Is there really a 50-50 chance that Bonnie's not going to make it out of this alive?"

"It's true, but you better not tell Stefan or Elena."

"I thought so. You and Bonnie are doing this behind their backs."

"This isn't human teenage gossip, Caroline. If we have a way to kill Klaus, it's Bonnie. She's willing to do anything to save Elena and so am I, it's win-win."

"Damon, that's not fair and you know it. This is her _life _we are bargaining with. But rest assured, your secret is safe with me. If Elena or Stefan find out, it's going to be from me."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. Now, Miss Forbes," he offered her his elbow, "will you give me the honour of escorting you to this high school dance?"

She gladly linked her arm through his elbow. "I'd love to."

By the time Caroline and Damon arrived at the school, the gymnasium was decorated with streamers, peace signs, stereotypically bright 60's coloured clothes, balloons, and old 60's music blaring in the background. She knew he would be here. When and how he would reveal himself to everyone as Klaus, the destructive ticking bomb that was easily cable of destroying anyone and everything in this town. The vengeful tyrant that could snitch out on all of her secrets of their past together. Caroline was well aware that he could blackmail into doing something she would never do unless she was forced to do it. That's why she knew she had to sit everyone down tonight and tell them the truth before everyone else did. Gee, she felt like a teenager coming clean to her friends about her past that no one truly knew about.

Suddenly, the music was cut short and that really annoying girl who made Caroline's ears ring from before walked on stage and grabs the microphone. "Thanks everyone for being here," her eyes landed on Elena, who had rejoined Damon and Caroline with Stefan, Bonnie and Jeremy. "This is for Elena... from Klaus."

The song: _Dedicated To The One I Love _by: _The Mamas and The Papas _came onto the loud speakers in the room and everyone else began to slowly sway dance with their boyfriends and girlfriends while Caroline's eyes frantically scanned the crowd. She saw him, but didn't give anything away. He was near the exit with a plastic red cup to his smirking lips before he winked at her, gesturing her to meet him outside with the jerk of his head before he disappeared behind the door. But Caroline refused to move from where she stood. She refused to give into his orders when and where he wanted to talk to her in private.

"That was a lame, cheap shot. He's trying to bait us." Damon grumbled.

"I know everyone here." Elena clarified.

_That's because you already missed him._ Caroline thought to herself.

"Maybe he's not here. He just wants us to believe that he is." Stefan, being the good guy, tried to be positive.

"It's a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us." Damon said.

Bonnie turns to Jeremy. "Good idea," and she takes his arm.

"No, no. I don't feel like dancing." Jeremy tried to decline.

"Too bad." She said, taking no for an answer and dragging him off on the dance floor.

Stefan offers Elena his hand, which she accepts, and he pulls her away before they begin to dance. Damon went off to go find Alaric, who suspiciously wasn't at the dance when he's usually the first the sign up as a chaperone. Caroline decided to wait backstage for her performance before she-knew-who would try to ask for a dance. After Alison and Matt showed up together adorably paired up as JFK and Jackie O, Stefan left Elena to dance with Damon and to distract her from everything happening around them. Stefan went to Alison and Matt, who were slowly dancing together along with the rest of the couple around them.

_"Hey, do you mind if I steal your date for a moment?" _Stefan asks Matt, nonchalantly.

_"No, not at all."_ The human looks at Alison. _"I'll get us something to drink."_

_"Thanks." _Stefan said, gratefully stepping in Matt's place and began dancing with her. _"Hey."_

_"What's wrong?"_ Alison asked after Matt had left and was headed towards the beverage table.

_"Klaus is here."_

_"What?" _Alison said, taken aback._ "Where?"_

Stefan shrugged _"We have no idea. But keep your eye for anything that might be weird, okay?"_

She nodded. _"Okay."_

When the song was over, the principal went on stage and welcomed everyone to the Decade Dance before introducing Caroline to the stage. Everyone applauded as she waved to everyone and walked to the center stage to take the microphone from the principal. "Hello Mystic Falls High. My name's Caroline, I'm recently a new citizen to Mystic Falls and I thought the best way to introduce myself was through music. So grab yourself a partner and I hope you enjoy it." Everyone applauded again, boys taking their girlfriends in hand as the music to _You Can't Hurry Love _by: _The Supremes_ came on and Caroline began to sing. It was an upbeat song, so everyone was twirling and spinning the partners around the dance floor. After the song ended, everyone stopped dancing, applauded again for the third and final time and cheered her off the stage. By the time she was on the floor again, another slow song had came on and Damon was dancing with Bonnie, probably negotiating with what they planned behind everyone else's backs. Jeremy still wasn't too happy about Bonnie's life-threatening plan she was so confident and determined to do, Caroline decided to follow him out of the gym because Klaus has yet to return or reappear.

"What's going on, guys?" Jeremy asked, casually.

"You okay, Gilbert?" One of the students asked, mocking. "You don't look so good."

"Dude, seriously? Wrong day, wrong guy." He tries to walk around them but instead, they erratically started fighting him. Two of them hold back Jeremy's arms while the first guy who spoke punched him. They tossed him to the ground and began kicking him, unfairly.

"Hey idiots!" Caroline yelled from the end of the hallway. They stopped and looked at her. "How about you pick on someone your own size."

The one in the white blazer, the one who talked, laughed. "What? You?"

"Yes. Me." Caroline vamped and charged at them. But they all pulled out their crossbows and guns of wooden bullets, one took a shot at her. However, she caught the stake in midair and tossed it away. "Let me guess. Klaus says hi?" _Dick move._ Caroline knocked the three boys out unconscious before kneeling to Jeremy's side, wiping the blood from the corner of his lip with her knuckle. "You okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He said, stoically.

"Look, I have no place to say this but, Bonnie's just trying to be a good friend. I know you would do it if you could, if you were the only one to save Elena and kill Klaus, wouldn't you? I know you're worried. Just have faith in her, okay? As her boyfriend, she's need your faith and your support now more then ever."

Jeremy simply nodded, stood up on his on and walked towards the gymnasium where Stefan and Damon were running out of. The brothers stopped and looked down at the unconscious teenagers scattered on the floor and Caroline standing in the middle of it. "What happened?" Damon asked.

"Who do you think? Klaus did this to distract us. Go find Elena and Bonnie!" Caroline ordered.

Stefan and Damon quickly retreated while Caroline looked down at the mess at her feet, impatiently tapping her foot against the ground. "What a mess," she muttered to herself.

After Caroline waited five or ten minutes for the kids to wake up, she compelled them to forget and they went home safely. When she re-entered the school, Klaus was standing in front of her with his back turned towards her and Bonnie and Elena facing her and staring at him, wide-eyed. He finally looked over his shoulder to see Caroline slowly approaching him.

"Ah, there you are, love." He said, charmingly. "I was wondering when you were going to show up to . Did you have fun cleaning up my mess?"

"It's rather a nuisance, but I made sure they went home safely. When will you ever stop involving innocent humans into _your_ plans?"

Klaus clicked his tongue, disapprovingly. "Come on, darling. You know that's never they way I do things around here."

"What's going on here?" Elena asked.

Klaus looked at the doppelganger. "Hasn't you she told you, yet?"

"Niklaus, don't you dare..." Caroline seethed, warningly.

"I'm surprised she hasn't. I've impacted her existence We have long history together, lifetime worth of bedtime stories. She and Katerina have been from me for five hundred years. It's been quite the chase, but it was always worth the fight."

Bonnie looked at Caroline to Klaus. "Who are you to her?"

"Haven't you noticed yet, love?" Klaus turns his head and smiles at Caroline, who was huffing out angry buffs of air like a bull ready to charge. "I was the one who turned her into a vampire nine hundred years ago."

And that set Caroline off, angrily grabbing him by his throat and slamming him into the lockers, hissing vehemently at him with her eyes ablaze with rage and betrayal.

**live2write123: ouuuhh cliffhangeerrr! *gasp!* what's going to happen next? *evil laughing* sorry everyone for the cliffhanger! i'm going to be busy on saturday and my mom is making me clean my room this summer -_- so i'll try my hardest to update literally as soon as possible! so, what do you think? why did Klaus do that to her? what will happen now that the truth is out? will anyone ever forgive or trust her again now that they know she's been keeping this very big secret from her? what will happen between Klaus and Caroline? but until next time, love you all! goodbye! :D**


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**live2write123: *comes out from hiding behind a pillow* hey everyone :) i am so sorry for the delay :( it wasn't my intention to leave you all hanging like that, especially on a cliffhanger :(. it was cruel and unintended torture and i deeply apologize on my part :(. a lot has been going on, new neighbours moved in next door, a big but temporary writer's block with EVERYTHING i write (even my own stories outside of this story), and the lack of inspiration to what to write next. it's definitely and entirely more difficult now that i'm branched off onto my own storyline rather than following the episodes after another. so i don't mean to make excuses, i'm just being honest and i'm saying that it's going to take a few days to update because now i have to gather new ideas and moments between the characters. :( but luckily, after watching a few Klaus and Caroline scenes from the show and a lot of really great fanmade Klaroline videos on youtube, here it is! the chapter you have all been patiently waiting for! and SPOILER ALERT, i hope it was worth the wait ;) **

**ps. thank you everyone who keeps up with this story and patiently waits for the next chapter and puts up with my procrastination -_- i've been writing and deleting and editing a lot from this chapter so i hope you'll be intrigued to find out what happen next when i say this:**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MINOR EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONENT!**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Giving Into Temptation**

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_It was a normal morning in the village. Caroline was waking up to another beautiful summer day and she could not wait to live it to its fullest. Her father had already taken the young recruits to the valley to train and during breakfast, her mother had expectantly given her another lecture about good and ladylike manners. But as always, Caroline rolled her eyes, hurried finishing her breakfast, put on her long cloak, grabbed her bow and arrows, and left the village on her horse. She kicked her horse towards the valley where her father was training the new soldiers. He understood her more than anyone, unlike her mother who persistently and determinedly tries to push her into the direction of her absolute fate: an arranged marriage. _

_But Caroline felt that her life was just beginning. That becoming somebody's wife would be the end of her life. So she defied her mother's attempts, daily and continuously meeting her father in the valley to be trained along with the other male new recruits. But as always, they have already began their lessons. Her father was teaching the young men hand-in-hand combat. Instead of wearing her long linen dress, barefooted and her hair down, this morning she wore an oversized tunic, a belt, trousers and ankle boots with her hair tied back into a braid. _

_"Caroline, I told you to never return to our training lessons." Her father scolded after everyone stopped what they were doing because she had dismounted off of her horse._

_"You cannot keep me away, father. I wish to learn."_

_"But your mother will disapprove of your rebellious actions. You need to listen to her rules, daughter. For my sake as well as your own."_

_"I do not care what mother says or does to me, and neither should you. She will learn to accept the fact that I am not some prize to be won over for an arranged marriage."_

_He sighed. "If you are injured during this lesson, you will never return, correct?"_

_"Of course. I will never return."_

_Caroline's father smiled tenderly at his daughter and ruffled her hair. "Why could not the Gods give me a more compliant daughter. Instead, I am stuck with this stubborn mule."_

_"Hey, you love this stubborn mule more than anything else. I mean, if you were stuck with more obedient daughter, your life would indeed be boring."_

_He laughed, throwing his head back and welcoming her to the group. Caroline had to admit. There were a lot of burly men at her age with more experience then she could ever achieve. They stood tall across from where she stood, mocking her with snickering laughs and a sarcastic gleam in their eyes with their strong arms crossed over their broad chests, eyeing her as if she was their latest kill. "What on earth are you doing here, girl?" One of them, the leader of the group, taunted._

_"To show you how it's done." Caroline stated, unfazed and confident._

_They laughed, throwing their heads back and howling like mad dogs. "Little girls cannot fight men. Now, go back to the village where you belong."_

_"Are you hear to talk, or are you here to fight?"_

_"You don't know what you are getting yourself into, girl."_

_"I think I do. I would not be here if I didn't. I can fight any of you. Anytime, any place. Now, which one of you meatheads want to take me on?"_

_The one who had been insulting her and underestimating her stepped forth. "You're going to wish you never came here to dare to challenge me."_

_"And after I'm done with you, after I humiliate you in front of your meathead friends, you're going to wish you were never born." Caroline whispered smugly. "So are we sword fighting or hand-in-hand combat?"_

_"Sword fighting."_

_She shrugged, backing away from him to retrieve her sword. "Fine by me." Caroline gripped her sword in her hand, easily and strongly carrying the heavy weight of her family sword up to her opponent. His friends were slapping his back, encouragingly while Caroline cracked her neck from side to side. He turned around, the same mocking smirk on his lips and sarcasm in his eyes. They walked in a circle while his friends surrounded them, cheering wildly for his friend to win. Caroline blocked out all of the noise and closely listened into his slow footsteps and his even breathing. They would erratically change if he was to make a move. He lunged first, his breathing hitched and so, Caroline was able to dodge his attack in time and struck out her foot in front of him to trip him. He fell to the ground, face-first, and Caroline waited on the opposite side of the circle while his friends helped him to his feet._

_He laughed. "If you're going to avoid all of my attacks like the little girl that you are, then this is pointless. And besides, I would prefer not to hurt you."_

_He turned his back on her, prepared to leave her there as his friends began to follow him. But Caroline would never dare to let her opponent leave, so she quietly charged at him from behind and disarmed him of his sword with the swerve of hers and knocked him over onto the ground with a loud thump, pinning his arms behind his back with both of her hands and sitting on his bent legs to keep him from kicking. To her surprise, none of his friends tried to pull her off of him. They just stared down at her in shock and astonish._

_"Rule number," she leaned over and whispered in her ear, "never turn your back on your opponent. Okay, darling?"_

_"Got it."_

_"We understand each other, good. Now, let's fight skin-on-skin and we will see who really deserves to be called the best in the village."_

_"All right. Deal. Now, get off of me!"_

_Caroline stood up, releasing his arms and legs. She walked to the other side of the circle, he stood up and stepped a few paces to be across from her as his friends circled them again. Every time he would try to punch her, her head would bob and weave the attack. He was more serious and angrier now, less proud and overconfident. When she seized her opportunity, she roundhouse kicked him in the shoulder before quickly punching his chest away from her. He stumbled backwards before rubbing his shoulder she had kicked. His friends gasped simultaneously, whispering incoherent words amongst each other. He immediately stood up and marched towards her, swinging quick and angry fists at her face, which she ignored each time. But after he left himself wide open for her to strike, she punched his chin by swooping her fist upwards and under his chin. He fell backwards on to his bottom, rub his chin while his eyes blazed with fury. His friends tried to help him to his feet, but he just irritably pushed them away and charged at her with more angry swings and fists. Finally, after a few dodged attacks, his angry fist connected with her jaw, knocking her off of her feet and onto the ground. She spat out the rusty taste of blood building up in her cheeks. Caroline wiped the blood from her lip and looked up at him, his friends were roaring loudly for his attack and his back was turned to her again. She used this opportunity to sweep her leg from where his feet stood and tripped him onto the ground. She climbed on top of his fallen body, straddling him and pinning his arms to his sides with her legs. "Do you not ever learn? How many times must I tell you? Never turned your back on your opponent." She hissed before spitting her blood in his face and standing up. Caroline collected her bow and arrows and mounted her horse. Her horse reared up onto his hind legs before coming down onto all four hooves and galloping back to the village._

_Caroline ended up in the forest where she bathed and liked to spend her summer days here when she was not proving to boys her age that anyone can fight with the proper training, boy or girl. She dismounted off of her horse, spat the blood out of her mouth again into the dirt beside her as she walked to the pond in the middle of the forest and looked into her reflection. Her blonde hair was cover in dirt and strands of glass, her lip was cut open, her normally white teeth were covered in her own blood and her clothes were dirtied and bloodied as well. Caroline knew that she would never hear the end of it from her strict mother, as well as her father who would never let her near his morning practices ever again. She began to undress herself and then she walked into the pond, untying her braid to let her sweaty hair fall past her shoulders and down her back. Caroline swam, ducking her head underwater and wiping the grime of dirt, blood and sweat off of her body, face and groomed her hair with her fingers. Suddenly, she had the feeling that she was no longer bathing alone and in peace. Someone was watching her, probably that boy and his friends to finish her off. But it was not. It was a stranger with wavy shoulder-length golden blonde hair and wearing a dark tunic with a brown leather vest laced up on top, matching trousers tucked into brown below-the-knee leather boots. He was leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed over his chest._

_"Pardon me, darling." The man said in a thick European accent. "It was not my intention to interfere or disturb you for your bathing routine. But please, do continue."_

_Caroline sighed. "Now that you have my attention, stranger, care to explain why you are watching me?"_

_"My siblings and I have been pennilessly wandering for days on horseback, but there is not a village within miles of the closest marketplace. Until we have come across your beautifully cozy little isolated village, we were fortunate enough to witness your incredible combat skills moments ago. I followed you here to applaud you."_

_Little did Caroline truly know, beneath his skin and camouflage of a normal human being was a bloodthirsty monster who in fact pursued her here on the smell and sight of her delectable blood. _

_"Well, I thank you for your compliments. But if you wish to stay in the village, you must seek out the tribe leader in the village for his acceptance towards you and your siblings."_

_He nodded. "Yes, of course."_

_After a moment or two, he still remained from where he stood, watching her movements intently and interestedly. "Why are you still standing there, good sir?" Caroline asked, impatiently._

_"Forgive me, you a very interesting being to watch."_

_"You do not know a thing about me."_

_"No, I do not. But I hope to change that after I am accepted into your village. What is your name?"_

_She eyed him from head-to-toe before looking in his eyes. "Caroline."_

_"Caroline." He whispered to himself, contently, before he turned around and made his way to the opening of the forest._

_"And may I ask for yours in return?"_

_The man stopped, faced her with a smile on his lips, revealing his charming dimples and stunning pearl-white teeth. "Niklaus. Niklaus Mikaelson."_

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

Caroline wasn't entirely taken aback by Klaus's decision to reveal her secret. She expected this to happen. If anyone was going to tell her them her secrets, it would be this pathetic excuse for a being. She only hoped it wouldn't have stung this bad. Caroline knew how devious and disloyal Klaus has always been, but she never expected him to anything to hurt her this bad. She didn't want to admit the fact that she had been hurt by him just now, but then again, she always knew, at the back of her conscious, it was too good to be true that he would just let her go that easily without his precious revenge.

Her grip wrapped around his throat tightened, pushing his head further into the dented lockers as she hissed her fangs at him. "How could you? Is this your idea of revenge, Niklaus? Did you really want me to hate you this much, more than I already do?" She shouted.

With perfect ease and calmness, Klaus reached out and stroked her face with his fingertips. He was unfazed by her strangulation and his face did not give away any signs of aggressiveness. Instead, he was showing his rare features with warming affection in his eyes and tender softness within his touch. "You and I know that is not true, Caroline. You and I have been through too much to feel resentment or vindictive towards each other. I care and I worry about you too much for my own good."

"I hate you! Do you hear me? I hate you with everything that I am! For once, I was happy here, freely living my existence without having to check over my shoulder. Don't you understand? I could have been happy here, without you, and with the friends I have made and the friends I've reunited with!" She quickly released him from her hold, discreetly wiping away the unshed tears from her eyes that were about to fall.

For the first time Caroline's ever seen him, he's features twisted in to a utterly repentant and hurt reaction to her words. "Caroline..." He whispered, walking towards her.

"No! You have broken you're promise to me, Niklaus. And for that, I hope you rot in Hell. I never want to see you ever again, you backstabbing liar!" She ran, ignoring the fact that Elena and Bonnie were still in the school hallway to watch the scene play out in front of them. Caroline ended up in front of the Salvatore house for what she felt like would be the last time, because by tomorrow morning, the Salvatore brothers would have known everything that happened in their absence tonight and nothing could ever be the same ever again. She quickly packed her bags after she showered and stripped out of her dress. She was planning to leave Mystic Falls, forgetting the extremely blissful but terribly brief memories she had experienced here. She remembered what it felt to be alive again. Damon and Stefan were and always will be the brothers she never had. She let go of her 'so-called' friendship with Katherine, but it was a sacrifice to be made if she could finally achieve the genuine friendship she had always wanted. It was unfortunate that it had to end. But everything ended, no matter how much she desperately wanted to hold onto it.

Before she left the house, she wrote a letter explaining herself. It was a cheap way of saying her farewells and explaining herself, but all she basically wrote was that there were no words to describe how sorry she was for keeping her past away from them and not being able to face them after it. Caroline especially bid her apologies to what she was going to do next. She slowly walked down to the basement of the Salvatore house and found Elijah, his suit was torn and blackened by Damon's attempts to burn him, his skin ashen grey, his purple veins creasing out of the thin layer of skin with a silver dagger firmly in his chest. She knelt down beside him, affectionately smiling down at him and gently brushing her fingertips across his face to push away the fallen hairs from his face. If it weren't for him, she would have been dead a long time ago.

_**Flashback (Las Vegas, Nevada- 1945)**_

_Caroline had spent six months in hiding under Elijah's protection. Ever since Niklaus had found his hunters dead in the street that night, he had sent out a search for her arrest everywhere. Luckily, he hadn't dragged innocent humans into his business again like he had during the Spanish Renaissance. Caroline had told him everything that happened before she fled Spain. She gradually learnt that she could trust him again and that Elijah wasn't going to hand herself over to his brother for forgiveness. She also confessed to him the reason why Niklaus was persistently hunting her down. And this time, she knew that he wouldn't let her go again as willingly as he has in the past._

_Six months ago, a week after Elijah saved her, Caroline and himself were taken shelter under the care of a family of witches in Las Vegas, Nevada. The woman who agreed to take good care of them was Kathleen Bennett, a widowed mother of three children. Caroline once knew a Bennett in 1864. But even before then, she knew a Bennett witch in 1790 and befriended her after Katerina had abandoned Caroline again. During that time in Mystic Falls, that Bennett witch was one of the hundred accused citizens of witchcraft and they were all executed, burned at stake by witch hunters. When Elijah asked Kathleen why she agreed to help hide vampires in her home and under her protection, she spoke of her ancestor, the Bennett witch from 1790, and explained how there was a vampire who did everything in her power to stop the hunters from killing the witches without fair and reasonable trials. The vampire, who was fully aware that witches have always despised the vampire race, was willing to sacrifice everything to make sure these witches weren't killed for no reason. Kathleen knew the vampire was Caroline when Caroline ended up on her doorstep. Kathleen instantly knew and admired it was her who attempted a selfless and brave act of kindness to those who absolutely loathe her. And besides, Kathleen very much heard of the famous wrath of Niklaus Mikaelson. She would do anything in her power to help Caroline and Elijah out._

_On night, after her performance at a local bar and everyone had gone to sleep, Elijah was up late in the kitchen, marking off different cities and states on a map, everywhere they've been in twenty-six weeks of running away. He was raking a hand through his hair more than once, which meant he was either deep in thought or stressed out about something. Over the past few months she's been able to pick up habits about him that not even he notices. The way he fidgets with and straightens out the table setting at dinner whenever he doesn't want to talk to about something that Kathleen had brought up. The way his eyes fill with determination and enthusiasm when he's giving someone his word, a promise and truly means it. And on occasions like tonight, Caroline realized that every time he says good night to her and convincing reassures her that everything was going to be okay, she notices that sometimes he doesn't truly believe it. And the longer and the more they barely escape under Niklaus's watchful eyes, nights like tonight have become more frequent._

_"Elijah, one of these days you will regret keep me hidden from Niklaus's wrath." Caroline said, standing in the doorway of the kitchen with her arms crossed under her chest._

_He gave her an 'are-you-stupid ' look. "Don't be ridiculous, Caroline. I knew what I was getting into and signing up for that night. I was not going to watch you be killed or captured in front of me by hired hunters when I can easily take those foolish humans to their pathetic graves."_

_"I just don't want to wake up one day and find you have left during the night. I would completely understand if you did. You are hiding and protecting a wanted vampire. I can see how it's taking its toll on you. We're running out of places to hide, and my famously_ _public career as Carolyn Foster is never helping our escape."_

_"Stop this, Caroline. We don't need to stay in the United States, if we expire of places to run and hide, we can always flee to Europe. You have forgotten that I am running from Niklaus as well."_

_"You never told me this. Why?"_

_"I did not want you to worry. You and I both have our reasons to stress. But... I have information Niklaus wants. And he will do anything to have it."_

_"What is it? You can tell me. We should trust each other with everything and anything, partner in crime."_

_Elijah chuckled. "We do trust each other, Caroline."_

_"Then, prove it to me and tell me the truth."_

_"I have information of the doppelganger bloodline."_

_"But the bloodline died with Katerina, did it not?"_

_He shook his head, standing up and walking towards. "She had a child at wedlock before she turned. The bloodline has been carrying through the Petrova bloodline in Bulgaria, but the doppelganger has yet to reappear. But she will. And when she does, I will be there to make sure she does not follow the same fate as Katerina selfishly had chosen." _

_Caroline slowly nodded. "I understand."_

_"And I will make sure that you are safe from Niklaus's wrath." Elijah cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. "He never will harm you again, Caroline. I promise."_

_She raised her hand so that she could overlap one of Elijah's hands that lingered on her cheek. "I trust you, Elijah. And thank you. For everything that you have done for me."_

_He smiled one of his very rare grins that he only lets very people see. "It's always a pleasure, Caroline."_

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia)**_

Once again, Caroline's eyes gathered up Elijah's sleeping body again from head to toe. She had moved his body out of the cellar of the Salvatore house and to the nearest motel room. When he was settled onto the bed, she hesitantly reached her hand out and shakily removed the dagger from his chest. Now there was no turning back. She couldn't undue what she had done. But she didn't regret. She couldn't have. Klaus had broken her promise, pushing her over the edge and gave her true identity as a liar away to the closest friends she has ever had in centuries. Klaus only had this coming.

Caroline pressed her head to his chest, waiting to hear his heartbeat suddenly erupt out of his chest. After she had woken up by the morning sunrise, it took five minutes later until he finally gasped for a deep gust of air and his body arched. Caroline immediately backed away from him, giving him space to resurrect on his own. She could see the deep brown returning to his glossed eyes, his skin began to regain its colour again, his lungs struggled to gasp for air, and she could hear the bones snapping back into place. It must have taken longer this time to resurrect then normal.

"Elijah, it's me. It's Caroline." She reassured, cupping his face and looking into his confused eyes.

"Caroline." He hissed, breathlessly in a French accent leaking into her name.

"It's okay. You're safe." Caroline said, rushing over to the mini refrigerator that she had stacked with blood bags. She brought armfuls over to his bed, ripping open the first one and feeding it to him, which he finished in a one gulp until it shrivelled up. He waved his hand, wordlessly requesting more. She gave him five more and then he was able to move completely, but tiredly and slowly, on his own. Caroline threw out the empty blood bags, returned the others to the fridge, and then helped him sit up in bed with his back leaning against the headboard. "What happened?" He asked, groggily.

"Niklaus is here, Elijah. While I was gone burying Rose-Marie in Reidsville, Elena had daggered you and if I had known sooner, I would have earlier from my trip than I would have hoped. But Niklaus sent his witches me, they tortured me with some sort of starvation spell but I managed to escape from them. But now he has exposed my past with him to everyone. I promised him that I wouldn't un-dagger you if he promised he would stay away, but he didn't so I had to release you. Elena, the Salvatores, the Bennett witch, they know I never told them the truth about my past with Niklaus." Caroline sniffed back her tears, frantically explaining everything that happened in his absence.

"Well, I was always hoping I would be resurrected by Elena, but then again they were all planning to dagger me and keep me away from getting my revenge on my brother. They never trusted me, Caroline. And they won't trust you, now that they know that you're connected to Niklaus somehow."

"No, we need to have to trust us, Elijah. Now more then ever. I can't just let this be the end of it, after everything I tried to do to protect everyone in this town. We need to offer our alliance with them again. They need to know that if they _all _want to survive this, then we are their only option. That is if you're still with me on the same goal, right? To put an end to him?"

"Of course we are. But if they do not trust us again, Caroline, we are on our own. We will protect the doppelganger from Niklaus, no matter who becomes collateral damage if they try to step in our way, okay? Just like the old times." He showed her a lopsided grin.

Caroline smiled and nodded. "Just like the old times. Do you need some time to recuperate or shall we go now?"

"Better to get this over with while we can." He stands up from the bed and looks down at his dusty, burnt, and torn suit. "First things first, I am in need of a change of clothing."

Caroline hopped off the bed, pushing the closet door aside and pulled out a brand new suit on a hanger with a clear plastic cover to protect the suit. "One step ahead of you, partner."

Elijah laughed. "Did you think of everything, Caroline? Blood bags, now this. How long was I asleep?"

"The entire night. I didn't think it would take that long."

"I am sorry I have kept you waiting."

"It's understandable why you have. I didn't know what else to do now that they know."

"We will fix this, Caroline. I promise. Unlike Niklaus, I keep my promises."

"Yes. Of course you do."

After Elijah showered, he changed into his new suit while Caroline showered and then changed into a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, leaving her hair down into its natural waves before she followed Elijah out of the motel room. When they showed up at the Salvatore doorstep, Caroline hid beside the door as Elijah stood openly in front of the door and politely knocked on it.

Caroline's heart stopped at the sound of the door when it opened. "Elijah." Elena whispered, breathlessly surprised.

"Good morning, Elena." Elijah responded, calmly and civilly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Rather than asking me why, ask me how I got here."

"Caroline must've removed the dagger from you."

He nodded. "She did. And we're here to strike a deal with you and the Salvatores again."

"'We'?"

Caroline stepped out from leaning against the wall beside the door and came into view. She nodded, bashfully. "We."

"But I've been informed that this home is now under your name. So if you can be so kind to invite me in, it would be greatly appreciated." Elijah asked.

Elena eyed Caroline and Elijah a few more times before she stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Come in." She said, faintly.

Elijah looked down at the threshold and walked over it. "Thank you." He nodded his appreciation and Caroline followed him inside. They walked to the living room where Stefan was drinking his coffee and Damon was pacing the floor. Caroline cowardly hid behind Elijah, terrified to what they have to say after everything she kept from them.

"Good morning gentlemen." Elijah said, firmly standing tall in the mouth of the living room.

"Elijah," Stefan stated just as surprised as Elena was. "What are you doing here?"

"To make peace. What is this? The third or fourth time I have tried?"

"What about the little traitor? Is she here with you?" Damon seethed, nodding his head towards Caroline without looking at her.

Elijah turned to Damon. "She is not a traitor, Damon. She never betrayed you. She just never told you the complete truth about her past. But in her defence, you never asked her and she never expected to stay this long in Mystic Falls."

"That doesn't change anything. She had weeks to explain everything to us and confess her past with Klaus. But she didn't. She kept on putting it off until the day we found out. And then she could just leave us behind as if we never meant anything to her."

Caroline gasped, stepping out from behind Elijah's back. "You lie, Damon Salvatore. I would have given up everything that I am to keep everyone here safe. Everyone _you_ care about safe. Don't you dare stand there and accuse me of leaving and never looking back. Living here for the past few weeks have meant everything to me. I've been running from Klaus for nine-hundred years. Ever since I became a vampire, that's all I've done. And then I come back here again, entirely accidental, and I spend the best time of my existence in the nine-hundred years that I have lived. I had the opportunity to reunite with the Salvatore brothers, the human boys I should have protected from Katherine's web of destruction over a century and a half ago. And then I met the people the both of you care about. Elena, Bonnie, Alison, Tyler, Jeremy, and Matt. My stay in Mystic Falls was never supposed to be longer than a few days. But then I fell in love with the chance of living a normal existence as a vampire. An old vampire who doesn't have to worry who could be following her every move. I'm so sorry that I never told you the truth, but this is what would happen if I did whether it was in beginning of my arrival or somewhere in between then and now. You would have never seen me as the Caroline Forbes that wants nothing more then to help and keep everyone safe, alive and happy. Understand that you would always look at me the way you are looking at me right now."

Caroline looked at Elijah before she returned her stare at the trio. "I un-daggered Elijah because I knew I could trust him. He's closest ally that I've ever had. For thirty years in my past, he kept me safe and alive from Klaus's wrath. And he also protected the Petrova doppelganger bloodline, keeping it existent and away from Klaus. So you should be thanking him. Without his help, Klaus would have abducted or killed any of young girls within Elena's genuine bloodline. If it weren't for him, in all probability, your beloved Elena wouldn't be alive to this very day."

It was to be expected. Everyone was rendered speechless and their eyes were glued to her, expecting her say something else. But she didn't. Caroline waited to hear their voices, for their expressions to change, a forgiven comment, an angry reply, anything. Above everyone else, she kept her eyes on Damon's expression and how it changed out of rage and betrayal, which was a good thing. But the only problem was that his eyes were now distant and unfriendly towards her. Luckily, Stefan was the first to speak.

"Then, what are you doing here now? You could've ran when you had the chance. Why are you still here?"

"Because we are here to prove to you that we keep our word. Caroline and myself have both promised to protect everyone in this town as long as you do nothing to oppose us or betray us, which you already did when you were determined to silence me by putting a dagger through my chest."

Stefan pointed an accusing finger at Elijah. "That's because you had no intention to keep Elena alive in the end. Klaus would have to be at his weakest, _after _the curse had been broken and Klaus was in transition."

Caroline shifted her cold eyes to Elena. "Last time I checked, Miss Elena was willing to die and give up everything for the safety of her precious friends. That includes both of you. We were just obeying orders." She shrugged, innocently.

Elijah sighed, sharply. "Look, we are getting nowhere if we continue arguing who betrayed who. Let's face it. We all deceived each other for what we thought was the right thing at the time. Caroline and I are here, prepared to renegotiate our agreement with you once again so that we are all on the same page. We all want the same thing: my brother, Klaus dead. Without you, Caroline and myself would never get anywhere near him. And without us, Elena would either be dragged out of this house and caged up under Klaus's possession, or all of her loved ones would be dead if you tried to hide her or changed his plans. Whether we like it or not, we need each other. After this is over, Caroline and I will leave you all alone to live the rest of your lives in peace." He looked at Caroline and placed his hand on her shoulder. "We have nothing to hide. We encourage any of the questions you desire to be answered."

"What is Klaus to you?" Damon asked, his cold eyes glued to Caroline.

"Klaus turned me into a vampire nine-hundred and fifty-two years ago in a village that now Mystic Falls was built on top of."

"My brother and I have been running from our father for a thousand years. After everyone scattered our old village, they burned it to the ground and over the years, it was rebuilt by French settlers. At that time, Klaus and I took shelter in a human village, which happened to be Caroline's human village."

"I fell in love with him. I was foolish human who was trapped and tangled in the deadly web of a vampire. When he told what he truly was, I didn't run. Even after he told me, I wanted nothing more than to be with him forever. But that would mean I would have to give up everything I knew and loved. My family. My mortality. However I was willing to relinquish my expected fate of a young woman who was born to be signed into an arranged marriage, bear children with that stranger, and grow old alone while was busy off at war. I could not accomplish anything outside of that lifestyle. My life was already planned out for me before I was born. But Klaus gave me the option to be and do something different. That I had every right to decide for myself and that it was _my_ life to live, not theirs so that I could follow their rules and expectations devotedly. At the time, being a vampire was the only option for me. I would never survive as human running away. What was I supposed to do? Marry a stranger for an alliance between our villages? Have children so that he can have heirs to his name? And then, I would grow old watching my children have their children. It wasn't the life I wanted for myself. And so, with a lot of convincing and pleading, I asked him to turn me. And he did."

"Shortly after Caroline was turned, my father found us. During the night, he burnt the village down to the ground with people and children still asleep inside. Everyone perished. Klaus and myself were about to flee again, but Caroline was left to hold her parents while they died. It was the beginning of my brother and Caroline's rivalry. And ever since then, Caroline has been hiding from him and he's been relentlessly chasing her to this very day."

"How do you know Katherine?" Elena asked, curiously looking at Caroline.

"In 1492, I helped her escape from Klaus and his attempt to use her to break the curse. I didn't turn her, she had vampire blood in her system and she hung herself."

"How did you know Rose?" Damon whispered, avoiding Caroline's eyes.

"She was turned into a vampire and abandoned by the vampire who turned her. She was out of control, blinded by her bloodlust. So I helped her control it. We became friends, but when Katerina came into the picture, I was obsessed with the idea of my revenge on Klaus that it became my only fixation, discarding Rose and Trevor in the process to fend for themselves for five-hundred-years. It was the biggest mistake I have ever committed of my existence, trusting Katerina over my loyalty and friendship with Rose."

"How did you and Elijah get onto good terms?" Stefan asked, pointing in between the two.

Caroline looked up at Elijah and smiled. "He helped me in the forties when Klaus's hunt for me ever really succeeded. For thirty years, Elijah kept me safe until the time came around that we had to encounter Klaus once again."

_**Flashback (Las Vegas, Nevada- 1975)**_

It had been thirty years since Caroline and Elijah were settled in and taken under the care of Kathleen Bennett. The once young widowed mother of three was now old aged and alone in her home because her children had grown up and moved out of the house to start their own lives. But Caroline and Elijah haven't aged a day from the time the first arrived in Las Vegas, apart from the fashion and hairstyles that changed over the decades. The reason why the two have been able to live their lives for the past thirty years without moving to another state or country was because of Kathleen's spell that she placed upon them. She masked their scent and aura to make them impossible to hunted down and to be found. For thirty years, Caroline has been able to live a normal life again and with someone she could trust. For as long as she could remember, she woke up everyday believing that this could be her life again, a normal and peaceful existence. But then again, she was reminded that everything comes to an end.

One night, after returning home from a dinner out with Kathleen, they staggeringly and confusedly went home to find Niklaus just sitting in the living room, casually reading a newspaper, wearing a leisure suit and with his ankle resting on top of his knee. "It's about time you returned. I was starting to believe that I may have broken into the wrong residence."

"Niklaus." Elijah seethed.

"Hello, there brother. Or should I call you that name? Blood does not betray blood."

"You had this coming, Niklaus. Do not dare to claim otherwise."

"Of course I did, Elijah." Niklaus flicked his dark eyes at Caroline, who hid behind Elijah. "But I never knew you would be the one to take this one under your wing of protection and out of my reach."

"It was the right thing to do at the time. With the help of Kathleen Bennett, we all have been able to live our natural existences."

Niklaus looked at Kathleen, his eyes mischievously narrowed. "How can I forget? Another Bennett witch crossing my path and daring to prevent me from getting what I want. Now, I want you both to hand Caroline over to me. And I will let this act of betrayal go. You and I will be brothers again, Elijah. All you have to do is hand her over."

"If I wanted to be brothers again, Niklaus, I would have handed her over thirty years ago. But I didn't because I don't want to be your brother anymore. I do not want anything to do with you any more."

"Then, you leave me no choice. I will have to take her from you by force." Klaus lunged for Caroline, but Elijah stood in the way, pushing his brother into the opposite wall. They continue to angrily fight with powerful blows. Kathleen and Caroline hid in the other room while they destroyed her house.

"Forgive us, Kathleen. I am so sorry that he has found us." Caroline sobbed, hiding under the kitchen table with her witch friend.

"Miss Caroline, I knew what I was signing up for after I allowed you and your friend to stay under my protection in my home. It was only a matter of time when my spell would diminish along with my age."

"If we do not live after this night, for your hospitality, I promise to protect your bloodline through your children's children. And every descendant after that. They will never perish under the hands of evil."

"Thank you, Miss Caroline. For that vow of legitimacy, I am willing to proudly die tonight."

"No, we must have faith in Elijah, Kathleen. He will save us." But for the first time in a long time, Caroline slightly doubted her reassuring words.

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia)**_

After Caroline explained her past, Alaric came rushing into the Salvatore's house, panting and tiredly. He physically appeared far from being well. "Ric! What the hell happened to you? You weren't at the dance last night." Damon demanded, holding his friend up.

"Klaus told me to give you all a message. He requested for Caroline to go see him in my apartment alone."

Elijah instinctively stood in front of Caroline. "And if she refuses?"

Alaric looked at Caroline, his weary and hooded eyes glued to her. "He said he would come and take her by force and kill anyone who stood in his way."

It took a minute for her to step from behind Elijah and stood beside him. "I'll go." Caroline nodded.

Elijah grabbed her wrist. "No." He hissed.

"You can't." Stefan said. "There's no guarantee that you will return."

"He's right," Damon added, "if you go, which you're not, Klaus won't let you go."

"I know that. But what choice do I have? To run and hide some more? I'm tired of him threatening everybody I care about and their safety to live. I have to go. If I don't return, then so be it. Maybe my capture will be enough for him to disregard the curse to be broken and Elena and everyone will be safe again. I'm the only person who can possibly change his mind."

"It's a trick, Caroline!" Damon shouted. "Can't you see that?"

"Of course I understand that. I know this is a trick. But it's about time I listened to him and stood up for myself. I don't want any of you to be injured or killed because of me. Especially Elena. She deserves to live her human life the way she wants to without anyone dictating it how or when. And becoming a vampire is not the way to liberate her from her fate."

"Caroline," Elijah began, steadily. "Be smart and reasonable. Allow me to accompany you to Klaus. I can put a stop to my brother, once and for all."

"You have always said that, Elijah, but can you truly? I have seen Damon and Stefan despite each other over the decades but they have never come close to truly killing each other. Because the knew that once the other is gone, they will never have a brother again."

He sighed. "You know very well why I would kill my brother when I have the chance to do so successfully."

"And why is that? You left that part out." Elena asked.

Elijah turned to the crowd. "He killed my family. One-by-one, he hunted them down and scattered their bodies across the oceans."

After minutes of silence, Caroline spoke up. "I have to do this. I'm tired of hiding behind people. I need this, Elijah. And for the rest of you, consider this my pledge of allegiance and to sacrifice my freedom for the rest of yours."

"This is ridiculous, Caroline. You don't need to prove anything to us anymore." Damon snapped.

"Yeah, you have come clean about your past and we all agree to your negotiation and we can all put an end to him when the time is ready." Stefan confirmed.

"Thank you, but decision is made. Please forgive me and if I am trapped under Klaus's grasp, I will never forget any of you and the freedom you have given me." Caroline pried Elijah's hold around her wrist, using her vampire speed to leave the house and ended up in front of Alaric's apartment building. Just as she raised her fist to knock on the door, it magically unlocked and slowly creaked open. There he was, sitting proudly in a leather armchair with a wine glass of thick red blood in his hand. He was changed out of his sixties-themed clothes and was in a black, long-sleeved, Henley shirt, and dark blue denims. "Well? What are you doing just standing there? Do come in, Caroline." He waved his empty hand for her step forth.

Caroline slowly, cautiously walked in side the apartment as if something were to jump out at her. When she was out of the doorway, the door magically closed on its own. "Please, sit." He gently gestured her to sit on the couch beside him. When she didn't listen to him, his kind features quickly altered to a severe directive. "Sit down, Caroline." He irritably and angrily seethed through clenched teeth. This time she obeyed, scurrying over to the leather couch and lowering herself in it.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked in his polite and gentle tone again.

Caroline shook her head, avoiding his eyes. "No." She muttered, impolitely. She knew that if she did accept his offer, there would be a trick implied. He would either have his witches charm something into her drink or he wouldn't let her stop drinking the blood until she insistently craved it.

"No?" He lingered steadily, leaning forward in his chair.

She rolled her eyes before looking over at him. "No, thank you." She grumbled as politely as she could summon.

Klaus nodded, approvingly before leaning back in his chair and taking a sip from his glass. "Now, I understand you are wondering why I have summoned you here. And quite frankly, I'm surprised you didn't bring unwanted guests to escort you here."

"What do you want, Niklaus?"

"Straight to the point as always, Caroline. I have always been fond of that about you. But we had a little quarrel last night and I refuse to let us leave our relationship unresolved."

"And may I ask what part of "I hate you" and "I never want to see you ever again", did you not understand, Niklaus?"

"None of it, because I will never believe it."

"You do not believe the truth? Then, so be it. It does not change the fact that it is true, that I have always hated you and that I never wanted to see you ever again."

"I implore you to continue to tell me, yourself, and everyone else that. But deep down, I know that things have never changed. The reason why I never killed you and the reason why you never ordered me to be killed."

"Niklaus, get over yourself. I have stopped loving you the moment I was turned into a vampire and you left me behind to fend for your own skin. You are no different to Katerina Petrova. You would betray anyone if it meant your life to be spared in the end. You would betray Elijah, myself, anyone. Now that I think about it, you are truly no different from Katerina. Why kill her when you are no different to her? She betrayed me, left me behind several times to survive from your wrath and hunt. Just as you betrayed me and left me behind in order to escape from the wrath and the hunt of your father in the inferno of my human village."

Klaus's nose flared, breathing sharply and his eyes bulge at the sound of his father like an angry bull ready to charge. And he did. He stood up in lightening speed, his vampire fangs and veins revealed, picking Caroline up by her throat, tossing her body across the room and onto the floor. She managed to stand up to her feet, clicking her fangs out of her gums and ran after him, jumping onto his back, wrapping her legs around him and beginning to punch and elbow his head from behind. He reached out behind him, grabbing her wrists to prevent her from striking again and spun her body around so that she was facing him with her legs firmly wrapped around his torso. Klaus forced her body onto the wooden floors again and he hovered over her, pinning her wrists beside her head before lowering his face to her ear. "Do not _ever _mention his name in front of me again." His hissed, heatedly in her ear.

When he looked into her eyes again, his fangs and his veins were gone and his relaxed features returned to his face. By the alluring and passionate and scorching look his captivating blue eyes, her fangs disappeared as well as he lowered his head closely to her face again so that their bodies were pressed up against each other again. He pinned both of her wrists into one of his hands above her head while his other hand slowly, teasingly and gently trailed down the side of her body. His gentle hand grazed the side of her chest, down over towards her ribs and past her hip until his hand smoothly grasped her thigh, hiking her leg to wrap tightly around his waist. His hand left her thigh and lightly touched her cheeks with his fingertips. Klaus quickly and suddenly lowered his head to her neck. Her body tensed, squeezing her eyes shut and waited for his fangs to penetrate her neck. But to her surprise, Klaus began to eagerly and passionately kiss her neck and the base of her chest. She bit back a moan as her body relaxed and her eyes opened halfway. Her body betrayed her diminishing opposing thoughts, reacting to Klaus's kisses and arching her back towards him in approval. Klaus kissed up her neck to her jaw and chin but stopped at her lips. His hungry and heated eyes looked into her enticed and anticipated ones, looking for her approval, but after he felt her heavy breathing, he took that as her approval and dove in, colliding his lips to hers. But to both of their surprise, she was greatly responding back to him by returning the kiss.

**live2write123: ...o.O well, might i just say: YOU'RE WELCOME ;D. i really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and i extremely hope that the last scene doesn't offend anyone! but i did warn you! please, review, alert, favourite, and comment on what you thought of this chapter! it was worth the wait, don't you agree? ;) anywho, until next time! i'll really try not to delay the next chapter! :) thanks again to everybody who supports this story! i can't thank any of you enough! :D.**


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

**live2write123: *PLEASE READ* hey everyone! i hope this update was faster than the one before! i've been really contemplating on starting a new, separate story for Klaroline but i think i'd get too overwhelmed and i highly doubt i'll be able to juggle both stories at once and keep up with both updates. so for now, this story is my main priority! until i'm comfortable with writing two stories, i'll keep writing for this story! but i'll let you know when i am ready to write a new story! :)**

**ps. this chapter is loosely based on 'The Last Day', i took out a lot of scenes from the series and added a lot more Klaroline moments :D. so i hope this doesn't disappoint anyone. but SPOILER ALERT: there's a twist to this chapter that i hope will catch you caught off guard. we will see more softer sides of Klaus in this chapter :)**

**pss. thanks to everyone who reviews and favourites and gives their honest opinion towards each chapter! it's always greatly appreciated :D! but please review, alert, favourite, comment, and most of all, enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Death Isn't An Option**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia)**_

At first, Caroline blissfully and thoroughly kissing Klaus. She had entirely forgotten, over the centuries, how deeply she missed kissing him. It was as if she was human and sharing her first kiss with him again, entirely falling in love with him all over again. Somewhere through the chaos, he released her from pinning her wrists against the cold, hard floor, cupping her face and continuously kissing her lips. One of Caroline's freed hands found its way tangled into his short, curly hair while the other scratched its nails down his broad back with her legs still tightly wrapped around his waist. In this moment, she wished she could easily forgive him for his actions in the past, giving into the temptation and the attraction she buried deep within her was an enticing thought in vulnerable and persuasive moments like these. She wished she could give into these reawakened feelings. It wouldn't be as tedious and frustrating to put up the walls of hatred she supposedly claims to feel for him. But that would mean she would have to betray everything, her revenge on her family and everyone who have helped her live an existence without this addictive man to ruin everything she built.

With the thought of her friends, patiently and nervously waiting for her return at the Salvatore's house, she snapped out of this tempting trance to fall into and opened her eyes. She unfastened her legs around his waist, using her hands to push his shoulders and his body off of hers so that their positions were reversed: Caroline straddled his stomach, pinning his wrists to the floor beside his head and her fangs were furiously exposed. But instead of trying to easily fight her off like he can, he laughed.

"You, my dear, are gravely suffering under the effects of a foremost mood disorder. One minute your claiming you hate me and never wish to see me again, and then you are rather quick to respond to my gentle touch moments ago. Which is it that you truly feel for me? Hate or love?"

"Hatred." She seethed through clenched teeth.

"Hmm," he hummed with a confident smirk on his lips. "On the contrary, your body says otherwise, my sweet Caroline."

"A moment of insanity. But it will never happen again. You had everything planned out yesterday, didn't you? You played the nice guy, made a deal with me only to brake it hours later and expose my lies to my new friends, in hopes that I'll leave them, turn bad and join your side."

"Darling, moments ago you were kissing the enemy, might as well join me. Trust me, I can make your decision worth while."

"Think again, Niklaus. I'd rather fend for myself, all by myself, than be by your side. Because giving into whatever reawakened and resurfacing emotions I _used _to feel for you buried inside of me, it would be suicide and unknown and pointless to what I ultimately aim to accomplish: to have my revenge on my family's death."

"You could have followed through with your plan, you know." He started, ignoring her repeated vow. "Five-hundred-years ago. I gave you the opportunity, but you through it away due to the emotions you and I both know who still feel for me. The feelings you reject and bury beneath your hatred towards me. What makes you so sure that you can succeed in killing me and gaining your precious revenge now?"

Caroline bent over to whisper in his ear. "Because this time," she secretly reaches for her boot, "I refuse to give up an opportunity to kill you." She stabbed the silver dagger that was used on Elijah by Elena, but it didn't put him to sleep for two reasons. One: it hadn't been dipped in white oak ash. And two: he could quickly heal from the silver blade due to his werewolf gene. All Klaus did was deeply gasp at the cold silver penetrating his heart as Caroline jumped off of him and ran out of apartment with her vampire speed before he could stop her or follow her to the Salvatore's home.

When she rushed into the Salvatore's house, she was panting and everyone was still in the living room, as if she never left. Elijah was the first to greet her with wide and disbelief eyes. "Caroline? I assumed that Niklaus would have kept you longer, although I am indeed glad to see you are in one piece."

"Well, he didn't exactly let me go so willingly. I stabbed him with a stake, ran and didn't look back until I was out of his sight."

"That's good to here. Welcome back, Care." Stefan said with a genuine smile.

Caroline looked at him and returned the expression. "Thanks Stef. I was debating on staying, but he has a tendency to get under my skin."

Stefan nodded. "Understandable. While you were gone, Elijah explained everything else we wanted answers from."

Caroline scanned the room to see there wasn't a Damon in sight. "Where's Damon?"

Elena shrugged. "He got angry with some of the new information that was given to him and went to bed."

"I think we all should." Stefan said. "Tonight, we were given a lot of new information that we need to accept and digest. So, we'll all each other tomorrow. The both of you can stay here, if you need to."

"Thank you for your hospitality. We accept."

Stefan and Elena made their way upstairs and Caroline followed them, Elijah said he wasn't ready to go to bed yet and wanted to stay up longer to analyse their options to keep Elena alive after Klaus drains her body. After Caroline laid down in her empty bed, Caroline found it extremely easy to fall asleep. She looked up at the ceiling, her fingertips lingered on her lips and she caught herself slightly smiling at the aftermath effect of his kiss, reminiscing of the last few moments she had as a human.

_**The following morning...**_

Caroline woke up to the sound of Elijah explaining how the ritual was with Stefan and Elena in the room, but she couldn't hear Damon's voice. She got up, pulled on some clothes she left behind: a black tank top and tight dark denim jeans before she made her way to Damon's bedroom. He was lying awake, looking up at the ceiling with his broad chest exposed for the world to see and his curtains were pulled open. In Caroline's personal opinion, Rose's death ruined the enjoyment of being in Damon's bedroom. She captured a quick flashback of a dying Rose, reaching out to her before Caroline shook her head and continued to walk to his bedside. "It really should be against the law to have muscular vampires shirtless."

He looked her with a tilted eyebrow. "Kissing ass isn't going to make me forgive you, Caroline."

"You're still mad at me."

He gave her an 'are-you-stupid' look, which caused her to nod once and purse her lips into a tight line. "Of course you are. Why would we be okay again, even after I confessed my every secret and told you my entire past."

Damon quickly sat up in his bed. "It's not that, Caroline. It's the fact that you didn't give us anything when Rose _did _bring up Klaus the first time. You could have told us this weeks ago."

"I know I could have. I should have. I honestly didn't think I was going to stay this long in Mystic Falls. This was Katerina's idea, and I simply and loyally followed her concerning her safety. But you and Stefan unintentionally gave me courage to finally leave Katerina and her plans after I finally realized that I don't need to pretend she was my friend. I had you and Stefan and everyone else who have welcomed me into their lives without any questions."

At first, he looked up at her deep in thought before he suddenly stood up from the bed in his naked glory. "We'd better go see what's going on downstairs."

Caroline instinctively covered her eyes and spun away. "I'm completely not surprised that you, of all people, would sleep naked."

"You should try it sometime. I feel so... liberated in my sleep." He said with a winked, fully dressed in dark pants and a black, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows by the time he opened the door.

"Hey Damon?" She said out of the blue.

"Hmm?"

"I know you probably won't believe me. But believe me on this. I'll always have your back. No matter what the cost may be."

He simply nodded and she followed him downstairs. After Damon and Caroline entered the living room, Elijah was standing near the fireplace while Elena and Stefan sat beside each other the couch. "Tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse." Elijah informed.

"Elena said that the Sun and Moon curse is fake? That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus." Stefan asked.

"Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it..." Elijah looked off into the distance, "he'll become a true hybrid."

"Then why are we letting him break the curse? We can kill him today," Damon said from the opening of the living with Caroline standing beside him. "With Bonnie."

"No," Elena declined. "Bonnie can't use that much power without dying."

He shrugged, nonchalantly. "I'll write her a great eulogy."

"It's _not_ an option, Damon." She said, firmly.

"All right, how do we break this curse?" Stefan asked Elijah.

"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know." Elijah explained. "The moonstone. A witch channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."

"And where do I fit in?" Elena asked.

"The final part of the ritual." Elijah turned away, taking out a small brown box. "Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger... to the point of your death."

Damon's eyes slide to Elena to see her reaction while Stefan worriedly reaches next to him to hold her hand and uses his other hand to wipe his forehead. "And that's where you come in." Elena said, steadily.

"This is an elixir that I acquired some five-hundred-years ago for Katerina. It possess mystical properties of resuscitation." Elijah pulled out a small glass jar with a liquid inside of it.

"So, I'll be dead?" Elena asked.

"And then you won't." Elijah confirmed.

"That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" Damon snipped in.

Caroline jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. "You're not helping, Damon." She hissed.

But he ignore her, staring intently on Elena. "You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?"

Elijah shook his head. "Those rings only work on humans. The doppelganger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work."

"I'll take those odds over you elixir. What if it doesn't work, Elena?" Damon asked, anxiously.

"Then I guess I'll be dead." Elena said.

Damon looks to Stefan, as if he was wordlessly asking his brother to prevent this from happening. But after Stefan remains silent and shrugs, which caused Damon to look at Elijah before exiting the room with angry stomps.

"But Elena, we will do everything in our power to prevent your death." Caroline reassured.

Elena smiled at her before looking up at Elijah. "Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs to do this? Does he have a werewolf? A vampire?"

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years. If he doesn't have a werewolf or a vampire, my guess is by tonight, he will."

After a while, everyone went off to do their own thing. Elena was talking to Elijah more about the curse. But Damon was outside, chugging down his Bourbon and sulking. Stefan tried to calm him down, however that only angered him more. Caroline, watching from the sliding back door, took this chance to reassure of their suspicions. "And here I thought sulking was for human toddlers." Caroline teased.

Damon sighed. "What are you doing out here, Caroline?"

"To erase your doubts and distrust. Look, I know neither of you trust Elijah. Hell, you probably don't trust me anymore. Without Elena in the picture, you would have instantly turned Elijah away, the one who has been around for a thousand years and knows more about this curse than anyone else. In 1492, I was there. I was watching over Katerina for weeks, but while I was, my eyes would occasionally stray to Elijah. He is very different from his brother. He came up with alternatives to save Katerina from dying a death that wasn't meant for her to experience at young age. He wanted to use this elixir on her so that her resurrection was guaranteed. I trust Elijah with my life. Without him, I would have perished a long time ago. Instead of putting your trust in a inexperienced human, such as Elena, and put your trust in him. I know it's a lot to ask. But understand that he could have ran after I removed the dagger from his chest. And then you would be left with no alternatives or guarantees that Elena would survive this. Instead, he's here, putting everything on the line to save the woman you _both_ love. I still cannot believe it's happening again, but let's hope it doesn't end the way it did before." Caroline smiled sadly at the brothers before she turned around and returned inside the house with Damon and Stefan following her.

Everyone was in the front foyer, standing around Alaric who had just walked inside. "What happened to you after I left?" Caroline asked.

"Well, after I got some sleep, I went to the Grill to drink my problems away when one of Klaus's witches knocked me out unconscious again. When I woke up this morning, I was in my apartment, he let me go. But he gave me a message to deliver. The sacrifice happens tonight."

"Of course it does." Caroline whispered to herself.

When everyone was settled in the living room, Caroline stayed back, tugging on her knee-high boots, tucking her jeans inside and shrugged on her grey cargo jacket. "Where are you going?" Elijah asked, protectively.

"Would you believe me if I claimed I needed fresh air?" She smiled, sheepishly at him.

"Absolutely not."

"Then, I'm going to the Grill."

"For whatever reason?"

"I need to warn Alison, one of Elena's friends who was turned into a vampire by Katerina. She wanted to use Alison as the vampire in the sacrifice. That's why she came back. To hand Elena, Bonnie, Alison, and a werewolf friend of theirs named Tyler Lockwood, over to Klaus as an request for his forgiveness. I didn't see her last night in Alaric's apartment, but I doubt she's dead."

"All right. I will see you later tonight."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Promise me, Caroline."

Caroline laughed, offering him her pinkie. "Pinkie promise?"

But he didn't join her. _There's a shock, Elijah never laughs._ "This is never the time for laughter and jokes, Caroline. There was no guarantee that you would return last night, but it was out of my powers to stop you."

"Stop. I'm here now. After tonight, we can live the normal lives we've always wanted. Without Niklaus there to ruin the chances of us having a normal life."

"I know. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't. _I promise_."

He smiled a rare grin and ruffled her hair. "Okay. Get going. I'll see you tonight."

Caroline drove her way to the Grill, looking for Matt or Sheriff Young or anyone who could tell her where Alison was. But something was buzzing around the room that the Mayor had ended up in the hospital because of an inexplicable accident. But on her way out, Damon and Alaric entered the room and they stood against the bar.

"I screwed up." Damon stated, slowly.

"Yeah, you did."

Instead of leaving just yet, she spun around and marched towards the bar. "What did you do?" Caroline demanded.

"Get out of here, Caroline. I've seen enough disappointed faces for one day."

She looked at Alaric. "What did he do?"

"He gave Elena his blood so that there was an definite guarantee that she'll come back." Alaric explained.

"As a vampire? Really? That's your big "save-Elena" move?"

"Shut up, I messed up. I know."

"Sure you did. Why do I even waste my time with you?"

Suddenly, a body ended up standing next to Caroline with her back turned towards it. "I do not have the faintest idea, love." A husky, British accent said beside her. She regretted turning around to see him looking at Damon and Alaric. "Gentleman. Why so glum?"

Damon looks down at the counter of the bar and groans. "Klaus, I presume."

He nods. "In the flesh."

"Any reason you stopped by to say hi?" Caroline said through gritted teeth.

"Well, love, I'm told this one and his brother fancy my doppelganger. Just thought I'd remind any of you not to anything you'll regret."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I've done enough things I regret the last nine-hundred-years."

"Tell me, dear. Anything recent that you regret, Caroline?" He hinted with a wicked and teasing smile. _The kiss_.

She just exhaled harshly, crossing her arms over her chest as Damon stood up from his stool and Caroline sat down.

"Thanks for the advice. I don't suppose I could talk you in a postponement, by any chance?" Damon asked.

Klaus's eyebrow shot up as he laughed. "You _are _kidding." He looks from Damon to Alaric and Caroline. "He is kidding, right?"

No, not really." Alaric said.

"Damon doesn't 'kid' in situations like these." Caroline added.

"I mean, come on, what's one month in the whole grand scheme of things?" Damon persuaded.

"Let me be clear. I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So if any of you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up." Klaus threatened, casually.

"Is that a threat, or a promise?"

His eyes flicked to Caroline. "A threat," he instantly confirmed.

Caroline smiled, standing up and in front of Damon. "Of course. Now, I'll be on my way."

When she tried to pass him, he reached out and grasped her wrist tightly. "Do not test my patience, Caroline. Last time I remember, you struck an ineffective dagger into my chest as a distraction to make your escape. Who is to say that I will not take you back now?"

Suddenly, Damon bravely reached out and tightly clasped his hand onto Klaus's forearm. "Because I will go down dying to make sure _you _never _touch_ her again." Damon seethed, shocking Caroline that he still cared about her safety.

"I don't like to be touched by riffraff, Caroline. Tell him to release me or I will retaliate." He warned Caroline, looking down at Damon's hand.

"Don't make a scene, Damon. Please. There's nothing you can do." Caroline said with promise in her eyes that made Damon let go. "But I sure can." She twisted her arm, dislocating her shoulder in the process, and pinned his arm that was holding her behind his back. "Don't ever touch me." She hissed in Klaus's ear before she used her vampire speed to run out of the Grill, to get to her car and drove to the hospital.

Caroline didn't even have to go inside to see what was happening. She watched it from her car window. Tyler Lockwood had returned with the coward Jules and Alison was talking to her outside of the hospital, arguing about how Tyler left without a goodbye or an explanation. That is until Greta and Maddox came out of nowhere and rendered them unconscious with their spell. But then it finally dawned on Caroline as Klaus's words came back to haunt her.

_"I have my vampire. I have my werewolf."_

She gritted her teeth, knowing exactly where those witches were going to be holding Alison and Tyler. As she reached to turn on her car again, another string of Klaus's words whispered in her ear.

_"I'd remind any of you not to anything you'll regret." _And: _"If any of you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up."_

Caroline, the daredevil that she was, twisted her key in the ignition and went to the location where Klaus's witches were taking her friends, texting Damon her whereabouts. _I need my partner in crime now more then ever. Meet me at the tomb. We're gonna screw it up._

When she arrived at the tomb where the vampires were held in 1864, Damon had already beaten her to it and was arguing with Maddox. "Did you really think Klaus would leave them unprotected?" Maddox said.

"Wishful thinking." Damon shrugged before he rushes over to him, pinning the witch to the ground by his neck before Maddox used his powers to push Damon off and renders him with a headache. Caroline took this as her cue to jump in as Maddox stood up and walked towards a struggling Damon, but the sound of a gun shot blaring through the forest that connected with Maddox's back. The witch falls to his knees while Caroline runs up and snaps Maddox's neck. "That's what you get for messing with me." She grumbled. Caroline turned around in the direction the bullet came from while Damon got to his feet.

Matt Donovan stood there, who was armed with weapon. Before the human boy could do anything stupid, Damon renders the human unconscious by hitting the human with his gun. "You're lucky I already screwed up today." Damon said to the unconscious body of Matt. "Otherwise, you'd be dead." He crouches down and pulls out the wooden bullets from the gun before looking up at Caroline.

"Do all humans have a weapon to vampires nowadays?" Caroline groaned.

They walk into the tomb to find Alison and Tyler chained to opposite walls. Damon walks to Alison while Caroline tends to Tyler.

"Your boyfriend's outside with a rifle loaded with wooden bullets. You have some explaining to do." Damon said.

"What, Matt?" Alison exclaims in disbelief.

"Matt knows about you?" Tyler asks.

Before she could answer him, Damon releases her from her restraints. "It's tomorrow's problem. Let's just get you out of here."

"No, I'm not leaving without him." Alison stubbornly said.

Caroline turned to Tyler. "How fast can you get out of here?"

"I need to get to my family's cellar. I can lock myself up." Tyler confirmed.

"I'll help." Alison said.

They all look to Damon, who made the final decision. He groans, walking towards Tyler before crouching down in front of him. "Don't make me regret this." He hissed, breaking his chains as well.

After the four exited the tomb, Caroline carried the unconscious Matt on her shoulder while they treaded through the darkness. Tyler is stumbling behind us, gasping for air and holding his heart while looking up at the moon every now and then. When Matt came too, Caroline placed him on his feet to walk. "What's happening? Is he okay?" Matt asked, referring to Tyler.

"He better not wolf out on us." Damon muttered before his phone rings. "Bad timing, little bro."

_"What the hell are you doing?"_ Stefan's slightly panicked voice boomed through Caroline's vampire hearing.

"Saving the day. I figured you'd understand. Just tell Elena to stay put."

_"She's already gone, Damon."_

"What?"

_"Klaus came. He took her." _

Damon grits his teeth and hisses an inhale of air. "I'll take care of it." Damon grumbles, hanging up on Stefan just as Tyler falls to the ground and his transformation begins.

"Tyler!" Matt yells while everyone stops walking.

"I don't know if I can hold it off. Get out of here." He mutters on all fours.

Alison approaches him. "Tyler, it'll be okay."

"Go!" Tyler shouts as his bones snap into and out of place. "It's happening faster."

"You've got time. We're almost there." Alison urges.

Tyler looks up at them with his eyes glowing. He growls, charging at Alison. Caroline looks at Damon, knowing exactly what he's going to do next. Damon intercepts Tyler's attack before he could sink his canines into Alison. Tyler is above him, snapping his jaws at Damon. Caroline puts all of her strength to rip Tyler off of Damon and shoves Tyler into a tree while he continues to snap his jaws at her. But Tyler bones begin to break, causing him to double over and fall to the ground again.

Damon stands up and walks to Caroline. "Caroline..."

"I'm fine." She snaps.

"Get out of here!" Tyler roars.

Caroline turns to Matt and Alison. "Go to the Lockwood cellar. If it held him in, it'll keep him out."

"But if he doesn't," Damon added before handing over two wooden bullets, "use these. It'll buy you a couple of seconds. Now go."

Caroline watched the pair run for the cellar and then she looked to Damon. "Let's go."

He nodded, before they used their vampire speed to run the opposite direction and out of the forest. After the ended up at Alaric's apartment, the door swung open. Katherine was sitting in a chair across the room, staring over at Klaus while he had his back turned towards the door and looking intently down at a laptop before he was rudely interrupted by two vampires. "I wasn't aware you have been invited in." Klaus muttered with his back still turned towards Damon.

"I've come here to tell you that you have to postpone the ritual." Damon stated, firmly.

"Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"Yeah, but that before I rescued your werewolf and vampire and killed your witch."

Klaus instantly stood up, turning around to face Damon. "Excuse me?"

"Actually," Caroline stepped out from beside the door and heavily leaned against the doorway, "_we _rescued your werewolf and vampire and killed your witch."

"But it was my idea. So you can kill me for it. I don't care. I take all of the blame."

"Aren't you heroic?" Klaus said. "You would die for a vampire that lied to you and kept secrets from you?"

Damon nodded. "Of course. She's the closest person I have to a friend I can trust no matter what."

"I've heard about you. The crazy, impulsive vampire in love with his brother's girl. I knew one of you would try to stop me. It was a fifty-fifty guess on who." Klaus turned around and picked up his phone. "The nice thing about werewolves is they tend to travel in packs. Need a closer look?" He throws it for Damon to catch.

"Jules." Damon muttered.

"When you spend a thousand years trying to break a curse, you learn a thing or two. First rule: always have a back-up plan. Back-up werewolf. Back-up witch."

"Back-up vampire." Damon finished.

"I've got that covered, too." Klaus said, veins creasing down his cheeks and his eyes reddening just as he clutched onto Damon's throat and hoisted him up in the air. Caroline weakly charged at Klaus, but he quickly held her gently by her throat as her weary eyes struggled to stay open.

"Caroline. You are the last person to carelessly slack off on an attack. What is wrong with you?" Klaus demanded, worriedly.

"Put Damon down." She orders, her tone was soft.

Klaus rarely obeys her, discarding Damon away and onto the ground so that he could put his full attention on Caroline's inexplicable weakening state. "What happened?" He asked, lowering to the ground while clutching onto her body.

"Nothing. I'm tired. I've had my hands full, messing up your plan." She hissed.

His eyes examined her body, frantically. "No, I can smell it on you. Something's happened." Klaus laid her on the ground, before rolling up the sleeve of her cargo jacket above her elbow to reveal a greyish-purplish bruise spreading on her forearm. His eyes widened. "You've been bitten."

"Must have happened while I was fending off Tyler Lockwood. He was transforming sooner rather then later." Caroline explained, weakly.

"Caroline, let me give you the cure." Klaus urged, but didn't care for her response. He was already rolling up his sleeve.

"There's a cure?" Damon demanded, walking over to them. "You told me there wasn't a cure for a werewolf bite."

Her hooded eyes looked up at him. "I lied."

"Of course you did. There's no surprise there. Is there anything else you care to explain?"

"She could not reveal the only cure to a werewolf bite because my blood is the only cure. I have been informed that Rose-Marie died of a werewolf bite weeks ago, and Caroline bravely reached out to me, but I utterly refused." Klaus looked down at Caroline with tender eyes. "Only those who are worthy to live have the right to be cured."

Damon knelt to the ground, staring worriedly at Caroline instead of enragement that he felt moments ago. "Why did you push me away, Caroline? I could've been the one bitten, not you."

She smiled sweetly up at him. "Don't you remember? I told you I had your back. No matter what the cost may be. And I suppose this is the cost."

"As if I will stand back and watch this happen to you again." Klaus said through clenched teeth before he scooped her up in his arms. "Katerina. Hold him back." He demanded, and since Katherine was supposed to under his compulsion, she held him with her vampire strength.

Klaus lowered Caroline's body onto Alaric's bed, gently removing her jacket and pulled a blanket on to of her with her injured arm above the blanket. "Stay here, my dear. I will be back to heal you tonight when I return."

"Please don't hurt him." She pleaded. "He's impulsive and reckless and stubborn, but he's the closest person I have ever had to a friend since I abandoned Rose-Marie centuries ago."

"Since you asked nicely without having me to remind you, sure. I won't harm him."

She smiled, reassured. "Thank you."

"You need to stay put here. If you truly care about these useless humans in this town, you will heed my words. In France, I healed you overnight while you were asleep. You do not know consciously the effects of a werewolf bite."

"I do know. I've seen it on my dear friend whom you refused to heal."

"Rose-Marie betrayed me. I have been hunting her and that accomplice of hers down for centuries. I refused to heal those who are distrustful and unworthy to me."

"Niklaus, I have betrayed more than once and I'm still here. Why? If I could die, I would. When given the opportunity, I will accept death with open arms. I have lived long enough."

"Caroline, it upsets to hear you say these words to me. I have wanted nothing more than to keep you alive."

"But that's where you are wrong. I don't want anything to do with you, Niklaus. How many times do I have to say it?"

He bowed his head down to be inches away from her. "As many times until I believe you don't."

"I'd rather die tonight than drink your blood."

"Dying... isn't an option when it comes to you, Caroline. Not as long as I'm still here in this world."

Caroline was fully aware what was going to happen during his transition into a true hybrid after he brakes his curse. He was going to be killed, which meant this was her last night as well. She would rather let him "heal her later" than tell him the truth that her friends were planning on killing him within the next hour. The thought that this was the last time she would see him, feel his touch, talk to him, there was a burning flame in the pit of her stomach and her fluttering heart could not be ignored.

Due to her silence and lack to respond back to him, he lingered a kiss on her clammy forehead, stood up straight and walked towards the door, only to be stopped by her raspy voice

"Niklaus?"

"Yes?"

"Is there anything I could say to change your mind?"

She didn't have to finish her sentence, he knew she was afraid and he also knew what she meant. Klaus gave her a sad smile. "I'm afraid not, my love. I have been waiting for this and wanting this long before I met you."

_Of course. _She nods. "I understand."

"I will be back, Caroline. Make no mistake about it." With that, he departed the room. Caroline stared up at the ceiling, wishing that the effects of the werewolf bite would hurry along so that she didn't have fight off the urges and delusions to kill. But surprisingly more importantly, she didn't want to acknowledge the fact that she was no longer able to live to see another day. Or the fact that Klaus was going to be killed tonight and she wouldn't live to see him ever again. With that, she battled to keep her eyes open until the weariness got the better of her and she surrendered, closing her eyes and falling asleep for the last time.

_Maybe I'll see Rose and Trevor again. Maybe even my family again. _

**live2write123: *duh, duh, duhhhh!* oh my gosh, is Klaus going to be too late? or is this the end? the suspense! anyway, i know this chapter wasn't really eventful, but TEASER ALERT the next chapter (i hope) will be MUCH better :). please review and tell me what you think about this chapter! :D see you all next time! :)**


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

**live2write123: hey everyone! i'm just warning you ahead of time that this chapter isn't very Klaroline friendly because Klaus does A LOT of current bad things that he confessed to Caroline and, of course, Caroline reacted for the worse :(. but this is the last chapter of season two. i'll be starting chapter twenty five soon (which is going to be based off of the first episode of season three). i'm also just warning you that probably none of you are going to like how i ended this chapter/season BUT HOWEVER this story is far from the end :). i promise.**

**ps. this chapter is loosely based off of As I Lay Dying, the season finale of season two. i mixed around a lot of the dialogue and changed the plot for it to make sense in the end. **

**pss. thanks for everyone who has supported the story so far :). i can't thank each and every one of you enough. it overwhelms and surprises me to the fullest that people actually enjoy this story and truly keep up with every update. i'd like to give a special shout out to everyone who has given me 97 reviews :). i'm not a greedy person, i'll take what i can get. but it's truly the people who review and give me feedback on every or at least one of the previous chapters. and thanks for everyone who favourite, follow and support this story! :) but ****review, alert, favourite, comment, and most of all, enjoy the season finale chapter of season two! :D**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Never Going Back Again****  
**_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia)**_**  
**  
The rumble of gentle snoring awakened Caroline from one of the best slumbers she had ever encountered. It didn't take her long to remember what had happened the night before. Rescuing Alison and Tyler Lockwood from Klaus's imprisonment, saving Damon from a werewolf bite, the sacrifice, everything. It also didn't take her long to realize that she wasn't in Alaric's bed alone, let alone the fact that she didn't wake up sleeping against the mattress.  
"Morning, love." A very familiar voice groggily cooed as if it was directly above her.  
Her blurry eyes finally focused and she looked up, realizing that her body was curled up, halfway on top of his, her legs were tangled with his and her head was comfortably against his chest. Her eyes widened and she quickly recoiled, unfastening her legs from his and rolling her body until she fell off the bed with a loud clunk.  
Klaus laughed at her reaction. "I didn't think my devilish good looks were enough to startle you to fall off the bed so quickly."  
She sat up from the hard ground and looked at him with an unimpressed look on her face. "What on earth are you doing here? Why are we sleeping in the same bed?"  
"I thought you should be the first to know. Feast your eyes on the one and only Hybrid."  
That meant they were both still alive and operation 'Kill-Klaus' was an absolute failure. He broke the curse and there was no other way to kill him now. He was here to stay. And somehow, deep inside of her to the feelings she once felt, to that side of her who refuses to let anything that happened between them go, it gave her reassurance that he was still alive.  
But this version of Caroline, the stubborn and unrelenting version, would never give in to what she felt centuries ago. She stood up from the ground and sat cross-legged on top of the mattress. "Congratulations. Forgive me if I'm not jumping for joy that my greatest enemy is impossible to kill now." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest  
"Exactly, that means your stuck with me. Forever."  
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Lovely."  
"Is that any way to thank you? You're welcome for healing you in your sleep. Again."  
"Please, Niklaus. If it were up to me, I wouldn't be here right now."  
"That isn't fair, love. I know you want to live. There are plenty of ways to die for a vampire. If you sincerely had a death wish, you would have been dead a long time ago. And as long as I am alive, you will never die. I refuse to let it happen."  
"You can't baby-sit me. Not every second of every day."  
Klaus propped his body up on one elbow. "Don't try me, Caroline. If it was my choice and I didn't have a care for your freewill, I would compel you to stay by my side with force and compulsion."  
Her heart stopped as her head spun in his direction, worry filling her widened eyes. "But you wouldn't do that, right? I mean, I know we have our differences and all, but you wouldn't really strip me of my freewill?"  
He shook his head. "No. There would be no point to have you by my side if I knew at the back of my mind that I forced you to be there. I want you to be by my side on your own terms, no matter how long it takes."  
Caroline turned away from him, her cheeks reddening at his determination. "I hope you enjoy the disappointment, Niklaus. Because I will never join your side willingly."  
Suddenly, she felt his breath gently huffing in her ear. "I'm a patient man, love. I hope you, my dear, enjoy my relentlessness and persistence." He bent his head down and kissed her shoulder. "Now, do we have to get up and start a new day right this moment? Can we not sleep for a little longer?" Klaus tempted.  
If anything, her cheeks reddened even more. Not just her cheeks, her entire face must be a tomato by now. She looked over her shoulder where his face was, the stubble on his chin prickling her delicate skin. His eyes blazed into her hers as her breathing hitched irregularly. His hand was rubbing up and down her upper arm, tempting her and persuading her to agree. She tore her eyes away from his, gulping the lump further down her throat, squeezing her eyes shut and then finally, she slowly nodded.  
Caroline could feel him smile into her skin and he gently pushed her onto the mattress until she was lying on her side and facing away from him. Klaus looked down at her before leaving a trail of a soft kisses up from her elbow to her exposed shoulder. "You're skin is so soft, my dear, it puts velvet and silk to shame." He murmured, pulling up the blankets before he laid down behind her and snaked his arm around her waist and pulling her into him.  
By the time she fell back asleep, she had a smile on her face. A smile that he couldn't see and that no one else knew of except her. No one could know what she felt beneath the surface. It just wasn't an option. It never will be one. But every time she was this close to him, close enough to feel his warmth and his even breathing, she felt the barriers she built around her diminishing little by little.

When Caroline woke up, they shifted positions so that Klaus was laying on his back with his head facing away from her and towards the window on the other side of the bed while she was laying on her stomach with her head positioned at him. But throughout their sleep, he kept a firm but comfortable grip around her hand, as if his conscious feared that she would escape during his slumber. Caroline secretly examined his upper body. He even looked different. He slept with a smile on his face, and he appeared slightly further muscular than before. His chest was broader, so were his shoulders and his arms. The muscles in his stomach were more dominant than before. Despite all of the pain and havoc he caused, he was completely innocent in moments like these. Sleeping like a baby. She stared down at his chest, the light through the window reflecting off his skin so that the fine hairs on his chest were visible. Caroline felt tempted run her fingers down his chest, but that would wake him up and give him false hope.

however she didn't need to touch him to wake him. His eyes shot open and he turned his head towards her, looking into her embarrassed eyes with a sarcastic smirk on his plump lips "You know, if you continue to bore holes in to my luscious chest, my dear, we will never leave this bed."

She effectively flipped her head position, facing and looking the opposite way. "D-Don't get the wrong idea, Niklaus. It's not my fault that you're the first sight I see right now at this moment."

On the other hand, her attempts to put space between them didn't work. Klaus simply flipped his body so that his bare chest was touching her back and his body was against hers. "What? Not even a good morning kiss?" He asked.

"Never." She grumbled into her pillow.

His fingertips gently traced across her neck until her hair was out of the way and the back of her neck was exposed for him to kiss it, tenderly. "Unfortunately, I'm a greedy man." He forcefully cupped her shoulder so that he could flip her body onto her back. He pinned her wrists to the mattress above her head with one hand and cupped her chin so that she couldn't turn away before he dove into a hungry and desperate kiss. But unlike before, she squirmed underneath the weight of his body and tried to wiggle her hands out of his death grip. After five minutes of his unrelenting lips moving against hers, he backed away, unfazed while Caroline was gasping for air, and released her hands.

"You have forgotten to mention last night that Elijah and the Salvatores were planning on killing me during my transition."

When she caught her breath, she spoke. "As if you didn't see this coming, Niklaus. None of us wanted you to become what you truly are."

"Yes, of course. But you failed to inform me before I left. You knew that I had to come back to heal you. If I died, that meant you would have as well."

"It was a sacrifice of my own I was willing to make. I failed my friends. I should have been there last night. What of Elijah? Where was he?"

"He had his hand in my chest, ready to rip my heart from my body. But he didn't, evidently. So in exchange for my life, I gave him my word that I would reunite him with our family. And that I shall."

"Elijah would never do such a thing."

"But he did. Of course he did. I am his brother, no matter how many times with disagree and quarrel over petty trivial little things."

"So I'm a 'petty trivial thing'? Because if I remember correctly, I was under Elijah's care for thirty years."

"Yes. But look who your under now, my dear."

Caroline avoided his eyes, looking the other way to ignore her reddening cheeks. "Who did you use for vampire and werewolf in your little sacrifice? I want to know."

"Well, as you know, Tyler Lockwood has recently returned to Mystic Falls, but he brought a werewolf with him. Jules? I'm certain that's her name."

This time she looked at him with eyes of appreciation. "That's the greatest news you ever gave me. She was the one who bit and killed Rose. I always wanted to avenge her death. It's a good thing I took Tyler away from your imprisonment last night. Otherwise, Jules would have lived to see another day and I would have never forgiven myself if I ever let her go again."

He smiled. "I'm glad you are satisfied, Caroline. See? I'm not such a bad guy after all." Klaus leans forward to kiss her again, but she outstretches her hand to stop him by pushing on his bare chest.

She slightly blushes at the contact, but ignores it. "You're not off the hook yet. Who did you use for the vampire in the sacrifice?"

"If I tell you the truth, Caroline, you will never forgive me."

"This is intriguing. I thought you didn't have a care for another's approval."

"You're right, I don't. But your approval is very important to me."

"Who was it?"

He looked at her, torn to give her the truth or lie. "It was the doppelganger's aunt. Jenna."

Caroline's jaw dropped, shoving his body off of hers so that she could stand up and pace the floor, raking a hand through her hair repeatedly. "How could you?"

Klaus sat up to reveal he was only wearing black sweatpants. "I needed a vampire, Caroline."

"You could have turned any human in this town if you wanted to, but you chose her aunt?! What the hell did the doppelganger ever do to you? She didn't run. She didn't hide. She didn't turn. She obeyed everything you wanted, and yet you turn her aunt into a vampire long enough to be killed for your stupid, petty curse."

"This is exactly why I never tell the truth, Caroline. You forget to grasp the fact that last night, I would have done anything and everything to get what I want."

"Including innocents?"

"Especially."

"Tell me. What if the werewolf bite I had received last night effected faster than normal? You still would have gone to break your curse and you have returned here, with your curse broken, but I would have been dead."

Klaus shook his head in disbelief before he stood up in front of her. "Caroline..."

"Look, I understand that back then, in France, when you healed me, it wasn't the great hybrid blood that did. It was your original vampire blood that did because you still had a werewolf gene buried inside of you. Elijah couldn't be able to heal a werewolf bite because, despite the fact that he's an original, he doesn't have a werewolf gene anywhere in him. And I find it entirely unfortunate because the most greedy, deceitful, untrustworthy beast is the only one who can have the power to determine which vampires get to live with the cure and who supposedly deserve to die. That was your decision to make, whether they live or not."

He looked at her, shocked, as he tried to reach out to her and take step towards her. "Caroline..." Klaus murmured, but his sentence trailed off again.

"No, you disgust me, Niklaus. Don't you understand that by now? So congratulations, you've become the world's most deadliest monster. But you cannot have it both ways. You have lost any chance of my approval or allegiance with you in the process. Find yourself a new, young and obedient girlfriend to chase, because I've grown weary of your games."

When she turned around and walked to the door, she turns the doorknob to open it only by a few inches for Klaus to slam one of his hands on the door until it closed and the other was overlapping Caroline's hand on the doorknob. "Do not leave me, Caroline."

"Is that an order?" She whispered.

"No. I could never order you to do something against your will. Don't you understand? I know I am violent, malicious, deceitful, and greedy to those around me and have the need to kill me. But I would not treat you the same as them, Caroline. No matter how many times you attempt to kill me, my feelings for you had not withered or changed. I can never find another you, do you not believe that I have not tried that yet? When you fled from France, I felt betrayed and abandoned, but I still tried to find you for years until I gave it a chance to look for someone other than you. Someone who looked like you, with golden blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, but who didn't know what I was and what I have done. I thought it was an opportunity to start over, but it was ineffective regardless of the attempts to erase you from my memory. I could not. You were burned into my memory the first moment I laid eyes on you. You were proving to a bunch of young warriors that girls can fight as great as men can. And I admired that about you, Caroline. Not only did your beauty utterly captivated me, but as well as your persistent determination to prove your point."

"Enough, Niklaus. Nothing you say of the past can erase what you have done last night. I sincerely do not want or need to be treated differently with your special treatment. If you wish to harm and ruin innocent humans in the process of getting what you want, then leave me out of it. I don't want any participation in it just to be on your good side. I refuse to be loyal follower of yours who will sit back and watch the carnage you destroy. That is where we have always been different, Niklaus. You wish to destroy the world, I want to save it from selfish brutes like you. Now, release me. Because nothing you can say right now will change my mind."

Klaus knew what she wanted to hear. Three little words that had so much meaning to them. The truth is, he had never heard of or been told of these words from his parents or his siblings before and after he was turned into a vampire. Nobody loved him, but he always knew he has loved Caroline since the first day he saw her. But she has never been the one to say it first. Maybe that was merely one of the reasons why he could never truly let her go. He wanted to hear those three little words from her, so he continuously chases after her and confess his feelings to her in hopes she would utter those three little words. But she never has, not even when she was human.

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_One beautiful afternoon, Caroline was patiently waiting for Niklaus in their usual spot for his arrival. He was running late due to the physical labour and chores the tribe leader has insisted him to complete on a daily basis for him and his siblings to prove their loyalty and allegiance to the village. She was distractedly creating a crown of flowers, weaving beautiful wildflowers in and out of the crown made out of intertwining long and skinny sticks. Ever since their tribe leader agreed to let Niklaus and his siblings to stay, Caroline knew she was determined to give the new neighbours space. At first, she went out of her way to avoid Niklaus, but he continued to find ways to interfere with her daily routine. She surrendered to his advances, allowing Niklaus to have lunch with her during his break from his work and after Caroline was finished teaching the young children in the village how to write. Truth of the matter is that she truly and secretly enjoyed his company more than anyone ever before. His presence makes her feel safe and warm as if he wants to be there, despite his strenuous and demanding chores to complete._

_"Good afternoon, Caroline." Niklaus's voice interrupted the perfect silence around._

_She gazed up at him and smiled, amiably. "Hello, Niklaus."_

_"What is on the menu for lunch today?"_

_Caroline looks down at the woven basket. She removed the handkerchief from the top of the basket to reveal two sandwiches, a glass canteen of water, and fruit. "Well, your brother and the night hunting group were fortunate enough to catch wild turkeys in their traps last night before everyone went to bed. I made sandwiches this morning out of some__of the meat and fresh bread that was out of the baker's oven this morning. And then the elders of the village gave me some washed fruit from their garden."_

_"That sounds delicious. I have been looking forward to lunch with you all day. It is the only motivation that kept me progressing this very humid day."_

_"What task were you given today?"_

_"To rebuild the blacksmith shop after it was burnt down."_

_"Yes, I remember the day it happened." She shrugs. "Oh well, it was accident. And everyone makes mistakes."_

_"Have you ever made a mistake?"_

_She looked at him. "You really want to know?"_

_Niklaus smiled. "I would not have asked if I didn't."_

_"My greatest mistake I ever made was agreeing into an arranged marriage. My mother has been pushing me towards that for as long as I could remember. I agreed to her so that she could stop talking about it. She says I will grow to love my husband, as she had grown to love my father when they were my age. But I want to experience love on my own time, not to be rushed into something I cannot get out of."_

_"Do you know what love is?"_

_"I do not have the slightest idea. But when I do, I want to feel it for myself and for someone I love, not for someone of high status and riches who has been chosen for me to 'grow to love'."_

_He nods. "I understand. When are you to be engaged?"_

_"My mother hopes to ship me off by the end of the summer. In two months, I will be wedded to a stranger that I know nothing about. It scares me that I will have to marry someone who can easily abuse me or he may find a mistress or two if he has no use of me or gets bored of me." _

_"That will never happen. I will make sure of it. If this man ever harms you in any way, Caroline, I will make it my personal business to make sure he never hurts you."_

_"How can you be so sure? I have to leave my village to live in his village and live the rest__of my planned life with him. I will never get to see anyone in my village ever again, including you."_

_Niklaus leans in towards her. "And this saddens you? To never see me again?"_

_"Of course it does. You have been the closest person I have to a friend. All the young woman my age utter nothing more than pretty dresses and handsome men they have to marry. And the young men my age are too sexist and pigheaded to be my friend. I will miss your friendship when I am gone."_

_"I will miss you too, Caroline." More than you know._

_"What about you? Have you ever been in love?"_

_"Once. My brother and I use to be in love with the same girl back in my old village years ago when we were kids. But I was so very young and naive categorize it as love. I've never felt or been in love before."_

_"That is hard to believe, Niklaus."_

_He turns to her with a quizzical brow lifted. "Why is it that?"_

_"I believe any young woman would be lucky to have your love and to love you in return. Do not take yourself for granted. You will find your love soon enough."_

_At first, Niklaus was shocked to hear her words. But then he smiled at her determination that not all hope was lost for him. That he still had a chance to fall in love with someone._

_"You know, you do not have to do what your mother wants."_

_"Of course I have to."_

_"Everyone is given the choice, Caroline. It's your life to live. Embrace it. Live it. Because you never know, one day you may never have the chance to live again."_

_Caroline nods, understandingly. "I will take that into consideration, Niklaus. Thank you."_

_"You are most welcome, love."_

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia)**_

After Klaus had backed away, sliding his hold off of her hand on the doorknob and she twisted the doorknob again without any interruptions. She left the door wide open, walking across the apartment, past Katerina laying down on the couch and out the door, stealing a glance of Klaus's physical struggle to keep himself from running after her. But she didn't. She ran and never looked back. She continued to run until she ran into the Salvatore's house. Damon was sitting in the room, as if he was waiting for someone to return.

Damon was the first to see Caroline and stood up with a shocked expression his face. "Caroline? You really did survive that werewolf bite."

"I'm sorry that I never told you the truth about a cure to a werewolf bite. I really did try to get into contact with him, risking everything so that Rose could live, but he turned me away."

He nodded, walking towards her. "It's okay."

But she continued to apologize. "And I'm so sorry about Elijah. I thought I could trust him but his family matters more than anything else. If I had known he would betray us, I would not have involved him into our plans."

Damon placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from rambling. "Care, listen to me. You sacrificed everything to keep me alive. I owe you my life. We're not mad at you and we understand why you never told us. As if that jackass would ever give something over to us out of kindness."

Caroline smiles, reassured just as two people enter the room. "Caroline. You're back." The doppelganger's voice said from the corner of the room.

She spun her head towards the voice to see Elena and Stefan there. "Elena? How are you alive?" Caroline asked, baffled.

"Bonnie cast a spell on John to give his human life to Elena. He died in the process." Stefan explained.

She looked down at their outfits. They all were wearing black, but then she remembered why. Jenna. Caroline walked towards Elena and gave her a hug. "I am so sorry for your loss, Elena. No one, especially her, deserved to be killed for someone else's gain."

"Thank you." Elena whispered back.

Caroline wrapped her arms around Stefan after she released Elena from her embrace. At first, Stefan didn't return her gesture. He just stood there with his arms at his side before he slowly and loosely wrapped his arms around her. She backed away out their embrace a minute or two later. "Are you okay?" She asked, due to his pokerfaced expression.

"Yeah, I'm just furious that this is happened. We were prepared to kill him, and now there's absolutely no way we can kill him."

"We'll find a way. There's always another way. You found a way to keep Elena human and alive when there wasn't another way to. Don't give up hope, Stef. We can do this." She looked determined in his eyes, in hopes that he would feel determined to find another way to end the all-mighty beast.

As the day went on, Caroline got into contact with Alison to see if she and her friends were alive and well after last night. She confirmed that everything was perfectly normal, except that her mom knows that she's a vampire, Matt broke up with her and Tyler has been comforting her since last night. She also said that Tyler was sorry he bit her, but Caroline dismissed the need for an apology. It was only a debate on who would have gotten bitten. Caroline just happened to get the short end of the stick. When she hung up, she returned to the living room to see that both Salvatore brothers were gone and that Jeremy and Bonnie were sitting with Elena, drinking tea and eating what was left of the.

"Where's Stefan and Damon?" Caroline asked.

"They both had to go check on Alaric at the Grill. He's taking Jenna's death the worse out of us all."

"Okay, where are you all off too?"

"Elena's dragging us to go see the screening of _Gone With The Wind _in the town square's to 'take our minds off everything'." Jeremy explained, rolling his eyes.

Bonnie nodded. "Yes, a distraction from reality."

Jeremy turned towards his girlfriend. "Is that what we're doing? Pretending like our lives aren't screwed up?"

"We need this, Jer. Breathe, eat, sleep, wake up, and do it all over again until one day, it's just not as hard anymore." Elena explained.

"All right." The young Gilbert said with a sigh.

She grabbed her car keys. "I might head over there after I find out what trouble our boys are getting into." Caroline took her departure, but she didn't drive to the Grill like they 'supposedly' were. She called Damon and Stefan's phones, but the calls were both forwarded to their voicemails. Caroline knew Stefan wasn't convinced by her determining words to believe in that there was another way. Maybe it was because he could sense that she wasn't one hundred percent sure herself when she said it. Or maybe that he was determined to put an end to Klaus for once and for all before it was too late.

Caroline arrived in the doorway of Alaric's apartment, listening into the conversation through the door.

_"You need to get the hell out of this town."_ Damon's voice threatened.

_"Now, I don't believe that you are in any position to be telling me what to do. It's amazing how brave young vampires are nowadays. But I'm sorry, I'll leave when I want to leave."_ Klaus explained.

_"We're here to you go. You got what you wanted. Now leave." _Stefan demanded.

She took it this time to go inside. Caroline turned the doorknob, pushing the door and letting swing open. There was a lot going on that her ears could not pick up. Klaus was standing across the room facing the doors while the Salvatores stood with their backs turned to Caroline. Katherine was standing behind Klaus in the corner, but what shocked her the most was the sight of Elijah, laying on the floor on his back with a dagger in his chest and his skin ashen grey.

"Caroline. It was only a matter of time for you to return." Klaus announced, but her eyes were glued to the sleeping body of Elijah. She fell to her knees just as her tears fell from her eyes, crawling towards him and she held his hand. She knew that if she even tried to remove the dagger from his chest, she wouldn't drive Klaus's patience to it's limits and she would never live to see a free day again. "Don't do anything foolish, Caroline." Klaus warned.

But Caroline ignored him. She raised Elijah's hand to her lips to kiss it before she leaned over his face, brushing back the hairs out of his eyes before she kissed his cold, lifeless lips. "I will save you, Elijah. I have before, I can do it again." She whispered to him before she looked up at Klaus, who's eyes were widened and his mouth slightly agape jut as she got to her feet, walked over Elijah's body and stood in between the Salvatore brothers.

"I believe Damon and Stefan ordered you to get the hell out of this town. You got your sacrifice, your hybrid now, good for you. Now go. There's nothing left here for you." Caroline stated.

"That is where you are very mistaken, Caroline. You see, I need a companion to accompany me on my travels who is willing to give up everything they have here to leave with me."

Damon snorted. "As if any of us would willingly go with you. But dare I ask who you had in mind precisely?"

"Not you, that's for sure. You do not have a willing and obedient and loyal bone in your body. It's either the love of my life," Klaus said, looking at Caroline to Stefan. "Or the famous ripper I've heard so much about."

Caroline glances over at Stefan and he meets her eye. "Fine. One of us will go with you on two conditions." Stefan said.

"I'm all ears."

"You relieve Katerina of your compulsion." Caroline stated, her eyes flickering to Katherine before returning her gaze at Klaus. "And you can never return to Mystic Falls again."

Klaus smiled, offering his hand to the side. "Katerina? Come."

Katherine slowly and cautiously walked towards him, giving him her hand. He looked into her eyes, removing the compulsion from her eyes and dropping her hand. Katherine made her way to the door, only to be stopped by Caroline. "Caroline. I can't thank you-"

She raised her hand, cutting off her appreciation speech. "There's no need. I'm always saving you. Don't ever mention it. Now, get out of here. Before he changes his mind, or I finish the job myself." Caroline warned, and just like that, Katherine disappeared from sight.

"Damon, you should leave. This has nothing to do with you anymore." Caroline said.

Damon looks over at her in disbelief. "No, I'm staying until the very end."

She closed her eyes. "Please. Just go."

He shakes his head again. "I won't leave. If he chooses you, I'm going to make sure he takes me instead for your freedom. You saved my life, Caroline. Like I said, I owe you."

"Now, who to choose, who to choose. All options are easily valuable. But I need a partner in crime. That's a category where Caroline and the elder Salvatore do not fall under." Klaus explained. He wanted Stefan. "So, that leaves you, ripper."

"But I haven't been like that in a very long time."

"Well, that's the only way I'm leaving this town. I know you will not be any of use to me the way you are now. You see, you are just shy of pathetic and useless."

"I'm not like that anymore."

"Well, that's too bad. You would have made a hell of a wingman." Suddenly, Klaus used his fast-speed to race around Stefan and Caroline to bite into Damon's exposed wrist. "Now, are you willing to agree to my proposition? Leave with me and everything you hold dear to this down, and I will save your brother's life and I will never return to this town."

"Fine, I'll do whatever you want. Just heal him." Stefan said.

Klaus smiled, "now that's more like it." He pushed Damon aside, but Caroline caught him before he fell to the ground. Klaus walked over to the kitchen and found an empty water bottle in the recycling bin. He grips a stake knife in his hand, cutting his hand opened and pouring his blood into the bottle until it was less than half and one-quarter full. "You want the cure? First you need complete a little task for me to prove your allegiance." Klaus takes a blood bag from the fridge, tossing it to him. "I want you to join me for a drink."

Stefan slowly takes a sip, but that doesn't satisfies Klaus. "Finish it. All of it. You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal. Like I said, I won't make a deal with useless. I have big plans for you when we leave this town." Stefan drinks all of the blood bag and tosses the empty bag aside. But Klaus throws him another blood bag from the fridge. "Again."

Ten minutes later, Klaus's hybrid has taken its effect on Damon faster and more painful than a normal werewolf bite. Caroline continued to cradle his head while Stefan drank and finished one blood bag after another until he was on the floor, with blood dripping down his chin and he was growling in defiance. "You are very cooperative. It's almost as if you're enjoying it." Klaus mused with satisfaction, giving Stefan his eighth blood bag.

But this time, Stefan growled, shaking his head. "No more. Not until you give him the cure."

"Not until you finish this task. It's your choice, Stefan." Klaus knelt towards him. "You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me, and save your brother's life." He offered the blood bag to Stefan, which he stares at absentmindedly until he snatches it out of his hand and drains it while glaring at a smiling, amused Klaus.

"That's the spirit." Klaus said before he stood up and took the water bottle to Caroline. "Here you go, love."

She grits her teeth, unscrewing the cap from the bottle. "I hope you rot in hell."

"You're welcome, my dear."

Caroline puts the spout of the water bottle at Damon's lips and tips it up as the blood dribbles into his mouth until the last drop. Damon opens his eyes and his hybrid wound begins to heal. Caroline stands up from the ground, letting Damon wrap his arm across his shoulder for balance as he tries to regain his strength. Before she can leave, Klaus grabs her chin and kisses her lips lingeringly before he lets her go. "For old times sake. I will be looking forward to seeing you in the future, Caroline."

"As long as you keep your end of the deal up, I won't have to have another reason to hunt you down and kill you."

"I'm still waiting for you to kill me for the reasons you already have."

"All in good time, you will get what you deserve."

"Trust me, my dear, I acknowledged that fact long before you."

Caroline turned away, supporting Damon to walk, stealing one last glance of Elijah, and then Stefan, and lastly Klaus before she disappeared and ended up at the Salvatore's house. She placed a sleeping Damon in his bed, writing him a quick note on his bedside table and a blood bag for him to drink when he wakes up. Caroline took all of her bags to the front door just as Elena walked through it.

"Hey Caroline, where's Stefan and Damon? Alaric said that they never showed up at the Grill this afternoon."

"Damon is upstairs sleeping. And Stefan... he gave himself over to Klaus. I wouldn't expect him anytime soon."

"What do you mean, 'he gave himself over'?"

"Klaus wouldn't leave town unless Stefan went with him. But he didn't want the good natured Stefan, he wanted the ripper Stefan. So to up the stakes, Klaus bit Damon. Stefan just sacrificed everything to save his brother, including you. If Klaus stayed any longer in this town, he would know that you survived the sacrifice. In the end, Damon's fatal hybrid bite has been healed, but with the cost of Stefan's sanity and freedom. I'm sorry."

Elena looked down at Caroline's bags. "Where are you going?"

"I have to leave town too. But make sure you call me if Klaus ever returns. If he keeps his end of the deal in tact by leaving town and never returning, I'll make sure I'm as far as away from this town as possible. And take care of Damon, make sure he doesn't do anything thoughtless and reckless."

She nodded. "I will."

"Now live your life, Elena, because you have every right to live it to its fullest."

Caroline picked up her bags, walked out of the Salvatore's house, the place she called home for weeks, stealing a glance at it after she had placed her bags in the back of her car and was about to get into the driver's seat. She drove out of Mystic Falls, and throughout what was rest of the night, she didn't know how long she had been driving, but it was for hours until Caroline ended up at someone's doorstep at six in the morning.

She knocked on the door and waited patiently. It was only a minute or two for the door to open and Caroline looked up from the ground to the person's face. "Caroline? What in the world are you doing here?"

"Do you mind if I stay here for a bit? I'm currently homeless and I don't know where else to go." Caroline explained.

The owner opened the door wider. "Of course. Come on in. And you can stay as long as you want."

She felt the barrier in the doorway diminish as he said the words and she stepped over the threshold, carrying her bags inside. "Thanks."

The familiar, bedhead, weary face of Felix Dawson smiled at her, helping her carrying her bags inside. "Anytime. I owed you one." He closed the door behind her.

**live2write123: i'm sorry i had to end it on an anti-Klaroline note :(. i already know all of you were looking forward for her to leave with Klaus and with or instead of Stefan. in my opinion and in view of this story, it just wouldn't be realistic if she left with him and throw her revenge away that easily after nine-hundred-years of betrayal and hatred. my point is to empower and expand Caroline as a main character in this story. she surrenders to Klaus from time to time, but she can't just willing let her revenge for her family's fight to be erased without a fight. their relationship has always been a bumpy roller coaster, but rest assured: THIS ISN'T THE END! it's only the first part of the story. Klaus is patient and relentless. he's willing to do anything and everything to get Caroline to change her view of him and on his side :). but please tell me what you think and i'll try to post the next chapter of the season premier of season three by Tuesday or Wednesday. thanks again for all the support! i love you all and i was so excited to start writing for the next chapter, i already have the first Klaroline scene played out! until next time, good night/morning/afternoon! :D**


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**live2write123: hey everyone! i don't know if this is a late update, but if it is, sorry! but as you all know that summer is almost over, i have to get ready for college very soon and i can't begin to tell you how upset i am to see all of the back-to-school commercials. if it's not wal-mart's school supplies, it's old navy's back-to-school clothes -_-. i suppose the only thing that's getting me by is not watching any TV and keeping myself distracted. for example, this story and the hype of SEASON FOUR OF THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (which we all know is in october, which at first i thought was bullcrap but now that it's two months away and Klaus wasn't killed off, i couldn't care less that it's in october).**

**ps. this chapter is five months later from the last chapter to this one. we ended in April in the last chapter, now we're into August :). since Klaus and blood-crazed Stefan is busy off in Tennessee, i chose to this chapter that happens BEFORE season three takes place so it's all from my mind. :)**

**pss. thank you all for the support! :D i've been getting great reviews from the last chapter, even though it wasn't Klaroline friendly, but i'm just warning you neither is this chapter. :( i don't know who likes Felix and who doesn't, but whether you do or don't, i'm still going to write about him :). personally, i think Caroline deserves to be around someone who can take her away from her crazy, eventful life. and Felix does that for her, which she enjoys. i hope you all can understand that :). anyway, thanks again for all the support. reading the reviews over again is a big part of my ritual to get me in the Klaroline mood again and i can't thank you enough for the support :). but review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy! :D**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: The Damage Is Done**

_**Present Day (Reidsville, North Carolina)**_

It had been five months since Caroline showed up at Felix Dawson's doorstep at six in the morning. And ever since then, she's been living the dream: a normal life. A life without someone in her past or without Klaus watching her every move. This is what she wanted. But for the last few weeks, she began to think that it was wrong for her to enjoy life. She just dropped everything and left town without a trace. A couple days after she moved in, she threw away her phone and lost all contact with everyone she knew. Even though she loved living here, a life out of her worries and troubles, she knew this wasn't fair. Felix had been the most patient and thoughtful roommate the last five months. When he wasn't at work, he was here to keep her occupied and prevents her from losing what was left of her sanity. But whenever she was alone, whenever he had to leave for work, she was left alone as well her memories. Little did Felix know but Caroline had been making a collection of newspapers clippings in a book of possible Klaus or Stefan killings.

_A Man from Florida Mysteriously Murdered in His Shop_

_A College Student Found Killed on Campus_

_Two Young Waitresses Found Dead in a Dumpster_

They had to be Klaus. Whether it was Stefan or Klaus who actually killed them and drained their blood from their bodies, it didn't matter. Klaus was trailing lines of bodies from Florida to Tennessee, without a care to cover up his tracks. He was up to something, something that was never good, and she struggled to wake up everyday and go to bed with this knowledge. But this was her life now. And not even Klaus can change that for her.

One night, Caroline had made dinner for Felix after his late shift at work. It wasn't until eight in the evening for him to come home, with a smile on his face despite his evidently tired features.

She returned the gesture. "Welcome back. How was work?"

Felix leaned into kiss her cheek. "Work was work. Tell me about your day."

"I went grocery shopping and cooked dinner."

"You know, it's not healthy to stay in this stuffy apartment all day. Get out and do something."

"Like what?"

"Anything. I don't know, you know the strip clubs are not only open at night."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Very funny. Do you think I need to get a job to give you my payment for staying here for the last five months?"

He shook his head, pulling out his chair and taking a seat at the table. "No, of course not. We already went over this, Caroline."

She sunk down in her seat beside him. "I know, but I have to do something to pay back for my stay here. I can't just stay here for free."

"Yes you can, because I told you it's okay."

"But-"

"No buts, I told it's fine. Now let's eat dinner and then we'll watch one of your chick-flicks since tonight is movie night and it's your turn to choose what movie."

"I'll have you know that it's a classic, for your information."

"It's not _Grease_ or _West Side Story_ again, right?"

Caroline shook her head. "No. It's _Dirty Dancing_."

Felix shrugged. "Okay, that one's not that bad."

"Wait, what's wrong with _West Side Story _and _Grease_?"

"Caroline, when you watch them at least once a month and from a guy's point of view, I'm on the brink of knowing every word of the dialogue and songs within those musicals. Forgive me if I'm a little cautious what movie you have up your sleeve."

"Well, rest assured. _Dirty Dancing _is one of my all-time favourites."

"Yeah, that's what you said before every musical we watched. I'll be the judge of whether it's good or not."

She nodded. "Fair enough."

By the time the movie was over, Caroline looked up at the clock, hanging above the open doorway to the bedrooms, which read: 10:34PM. She reached for the remote controller on the coffee table in front of them as the credits were rolling, and turned off the DVD player and the TV before she stood up from the couch.

"Well?" She asked, looking down at Felix. "What'd you think?"

He shrugged, nonchalantly. "It definitely beats _Grease _and _West Side Story_."

"Okay, I get it. You hate musicals."

"Hate is a very strong word. I wouldn't say I _hate _musicals, I just think it's completely unrealistic and ineffective way to express their feelings. I mean, I don't mean to offend the song writers but, really? _Maria, I just met a girl named Maria?_ Come on."

Caroline picked up the empty bowl that was once filled with popcorn and the two empty beer bottles before walking into the kitchen. "In my opinion, singing expresses feelings and emotions where words can't. We can relate to music and the words within them because in some situations words can't express it the way music can."

Felix stood up from the couch and followed her to the kitchen. "Wow, that was deep. You sure are passionate about music, aren't you?"

She nodded, placing the empty bowl in the sink. "Yes sir. I've been singing for centuries. I'll have you know that I was the famous Carolyn Foster during the 40s."

He tilted an eyebrow. "Really?"

Again, Caroline nodded but she added soup to the bowl and filled the sink with water. "I love musicals, sure they are absurd and random where the actors break out into song every ten minutes. But that's what makes them different, right? That's why there are different genres of music and movies. If everything was the same, music and movies would be boring and avoided."

Felix lifted his palms up in a gesture of defence. "Hey, I didn't say I hated music and singing. I just don't think music and singing should mix with movies."

"Well, I won't stand here and prove you wrong. Everyone has different opinions, yours just appears to be wrong." She teased.

He smiled wickedly at her, advancing towards her. Felix scooped out a handful of soapy foam and blew it in her face. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

Caroline retaliated, mirroring his actions but this time, she smack it on top his head. "I was saying that I'm right and you're wrong. As always." She watched his features change into a challenge and confident gleam in his eyes, Caroline quickly turned off the water pouring into the sink and backed away slowly from him.

"Don't tell me this is going to end up like the time we made brownies and we got more batter on the kitchen alliances and ourselves than in the pan to be baked."

"You tell me. You're the one getting offended."

"That's because you said everyone has a different opinion! You could have stopped there if you wanted too, but instead, you had to add in that I was wrong and you were right."

"Well, at least you're admitting it."

"You're gonna get it." He grumbled, playfully.

"I'm so scared." She said, overdramatically and feigning fear. "The big, bad wolf is after me! How will I live with myself if I ever survive?"

"That's it." Felix charged after her, but she used her vampire speed to run to the television set. "Hey! That's not fair! If I could wolf up on freewill, I use it. But I can't, so that's considered cheating."

Caroline's face suddenly turned into sincerity, thinking over his words and Klaus's possible ability to turn werewolves into hybrids so that they could transform on their own freewill. "Wait, if you had the opportunity to turn at freewill, would you take it?"

He stopped walking towards her and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd have to think about it. I've never heard of a witch or any other supernatural monster who held that type of power. Why? Have you come across a monster that can?"

"I use to know one, but he is too cunning and manipulative to do something so generous for someone else." Caroline awkwardly looked around her. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow. Is it my turn to cook breakfast, or yours?"

"Since you cooked a delicious dinner, breakfast is on me. We should go out."

"Okay. Sounds good. Good night, Felix."

"Night Caroline."

Caroline walked to the guest bedroom to see a familiar sight every time she walks into her room: her bags. They were still unpacked, despite the dresser and closet that could easily store them away. But for five months, she never did. This wasn't her home. She was just temporarily using it. The last time she unpacked her bags was in the Salvatore's Boarding House and that place was the closest thing she's ever had to home. But Caroline didn't want to offend Felix, so she hid her bags in the empty closet and took out her clothes from there. She pulled out her pyjama short-shorts and tank top before walking across the hall to the only bathroom in the apartment. They came to an agreement that she would have nightly showers and he would have one every morning. When she locked the door behind her, she stripped out of her clothes, pulled open the shower door and stepped inside. During her relaxing shower, she hummed and lightly sung along to the song in the last scene of _Dirty Dancing_. It was _(I've Had) The Time Of My Life_, by: _Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes_. Little did she know that Felix lingered a minute by the bathroom door to listen to her sing before continuing his way to his bedroom beside Caroline's.

_**The following morning...**_

Caroline woke up to the birds chirping outside the guest room's window and she sat up, stretching her arms above her head. She stood up, walking across the creaking floorboards and slid on her silk robe that was hanging on the back of the door before stepping out and into the kitchen. She found Felix at the counter beside the sink, wearing blue plaid pyjama pants that hung low on his hips and shirtless with his broad back turned towards her. There was no such thing as a fat werewolf. They were always fit. And Caroline couldn't keep her eyes off of him in this view. The first time she saw him shirtless, she screamed and jumped back as if she had just walked into him having a shower and he was naked. But give her a break. It wasn't every day that she woke up to a muscular werewolf cooking her breakfast.

"You can stop checking me out, you know." He said with his back still turned towards her.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. Are you making coffee?"

"Yeah, you want some?"

"Sure."

"In the newspaper, there was another killing and whatever it is, it's getting close."

Caroline's heart stopped beating, making her way to the table and reading the front page headline: _A Former Track Star was Found Drained of Blood_. "Where was it?"

"Memphis, if I'm not mistaken."

Her heartbeat skidded to a stop again. "Memphis? As in Memphis, Tennessee?"

Felix turned around halfway, revealing his washboard abs and broad chest. "What's wrong?"

"That's only twelve hours away from here."

"I realize that, hence the reason why I said: 'it's getting close'."

"And you're not worried about it?"

"It's says in the paper it was an animal attack. But since when were all wild animals rabid? They only have a reason to attack when they feel threatened or provoked. So, it has be a vampire of some sort."

"Why would you think that?"

"Who else could it be, Caroline?"

"Oh I don't know, hunters, maybe? Or perhaps it's a werewolf that attacked the kid."

"Why would it be a werewolf? It's not even the full moon yet."

"Yes, but the full moon is around the corner. In two days, actually. But since we're on the topic, you've never told me where you go on a full moon."

"That's because it's a secret and I've never told anyone where I go to turn. A friend of mine provides me shelter and chains on a full moon so that I don't get out and kill people."

True, but you don't need to turn to kill someone. Anyone has the power to kill someone, whether their vampire, werewolf or human. You never know. Don't jump to conclusions and just assume that when something bad happens, it's a vampire who did it." Although Caroline knew the culprits, she wanted to make a point that some killings are caused by werewolves. "You know, I'll have breakfast on my own. If I knew we were keeping secrets, I would have kept everything buried inside me. But that's how we almost lost our friendship in the first place, isn't that right, Felix? I didn't tell you I am a vampire and you didn't tell me you are werewolf. And now we're back to keeping secrets."

"Wait, Caroline, I didn't-"

"Mean it? No, you just didn't think how I would feel about your suspicion and hate towards vampires. But rest assured, before I met you, I wanted every werewolf to die out or a painful death. So I guess we're both even." Caroline used her vampire speed to run to her bedroom, get changed into denim capris and a grey, off-the-shoulder, long-sleeve shirt, brushed her teeth and hair, and grabbed her wallet before running out of the apartment in a blur.

When Caroline got to the little coffee shop down the road from the apartment building, she sat herself in an empty booth and looked through the menu. While she was picking out what to order, her middle-aged waitress stopped by. "Excuse me, miss? Are you expecting someone to join you?"

She looked across the table at the empty booth where Felix would have been sitting in before she looked up at her waitress. "No. It's just me."

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but booth tables are given out to customers with more than one. If you would be so kind and sit at the bar, that would be greatly appreciated." She asked, sweetly that made Caroline's teeth have a cavity.

"There will be no need." A distinctive British accent corrupted her senses and interrupted their conversation which caused Caroline to stare ahead of her, frozen in fear, and didn't dare to look up at his alluring face. "I will be joining the lovely lady for breakfast this morning. May I please have a menu?" He asked, politely.

"R-Right away, sir." The waitress stuttered.

"Thank you, dear." She could hear the smile within his voice. Klaus walked around to the other side of the booth and slid in. "You're welcome."

"I never asked you to do that."

"No, you didn't. But by the look on your face, I could tell that you would have left and drained her blood while she took out the trash at the back of this building where no one else can see."

Suddenly, the waitress bashfully returned to their booth and handed him a menu. He winked at her with a seductive 'thank-you' before she timidly retreated. Caroline snorted, uninterested at his behaviour. "What do you want? What are you doing here?"

"My last intention I want to happen was to break our little agreement we arranged five months ago. But as it turns out, you have left Mystic Falls."

"Why would I stay? My stay has been overdue for weeks. I left town when you did and this is as far as I went. I knew someone who lived here and I thought it was the perfect location to stay at for a few months."

"Do not tell me it was that werewolf boy my witches had brought back to Mystic Falls with you."

"It is. He's my friend and he's given me a great deal of respect and generosity, that's more than you ever gave me."

"Other than kindly offering my blood to save your life from a werewolf bite, more than once, if I recall."

"I never asked you do to that for me, Niklaus. Neither times. I was willing to die from a werewolf bite because I got involved with a werewolf on a full moon each time that I had gotten bitten."

"Besides, that is in the past. We cannot change that. But let's get back on to a more recent topic. If your friend is a werewolf, could you take me to him?"

"And why would I do that?"

"Stefan and I have been very busy this summer, my dear. We've traveled from Florida, to Tennessee, hunting down a werewolf pack to turn them into hybrids."

Caroline's eyes widened at how willingly instant he gave up his only and genuine reason. "Have you had any success?" She asked, trying to avoid bargaining to give away Felix's whereabouts.

"We have not had the opportunity to come across a werewolf or its pack. As you know, the werewolf population is quickly descending downhill into extinction. Stefan and I are currently hunting down two women who could lead us to this pack leader somewhere in Tennessee. But with the news that there is a werewolf here in Reidsville, you must tell me the truth at once, Caroline."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not interested in throwing him under the bus just so that you can have your little hybrid family."

"I do not believe I gave you an option, my sweet. I admit, I have been distracted this summer to keep an eye on you, but I'm here now and I want to know his location."

"Well, I'm giving myself an option. And my option is no, I will not tell you where he is. I do not owe you anything and frankly, it's none of your business where or who I stay with."

"Oh, my sweet, but it is my business. He's a werewolf. And if not," the teasing gleam in his eyes quickly vanished, "I'll make it my business. Where is he?"

"What your saying is that I should tell you so you use him to be the bridge to a werewolf pack? I already see how this plays out and I don't want to be apart of it. He's my friend, Niklaus."

"Even if you don't tell me where your 'friend' is, I already have a werewolf in mind before I came here. It's killing two birds with one stone if I obtain the location of your werewolf. I could be satisfied with the werewolf I originally planned to find, which I will, but now my plans have changed and if you still refuse to tell me, I will easily resort to violence and hurt someone you care deeply for." Klaus threatened in a deep and menacing voice.

"Niklaus, you can't just have the privilege to bully yourself around so that you can . Especially with me. I won't tolerate it."

"And I will not tolerate defiance from you. Tell me this instance."

"Is this really what made you come all the way from Memphis, just to talk to me about the werewolf roommate I've been living with for the past five months?"

"How would you know I was in Memphis?"

"Please. It's all over the newspaper. Of course I suspected it was you and Ripper Stefan. You're trailing bodies from Florida to Tennessee. In my opinion, you've been very careless with covering up your tracks."

"That's because it was not my objective to cover up my tracks. I wanted the werewolves to know that I was coming for them. Otherwise, I would have burned the bodies before anyone discovered those humans were missing. However, we have gotten off topic again. Where is this werewolf?"

"I already told you. I won't tell you. I'm not scared of you, regardless of what threat you have up your sleeve, or what you could do to me, regardless of our past and what we've been through. I'm not Katerina. I will not give you someone you desire just so that you can be happy and I can be on your good side. I've dealt with your wrath and I've ran from it for the past nine-hundred-years, I'm pretty sure I can handle it now." Caroline stood up from the booth looking down at an amused, unfazed Klaus looking up at her with his arms folded across his chest. "Goodbye, Niklaus. I hope to never see you for awhile. I was sincerely enjoying the last few months without an unwanted disturbance from you. It's a shame my peaceful visit had to come to an end."

She turned around, exited the coffee shop on an empty stomach and left the streets while she felt Klaus's eyes on her back until she disappeared from his sight. She knew that she couldn't go back to the apartment where Felix was, Klaus would follow her back there and he would get what he wanted. Instead, she headed towards the Starbucks where she first met Felix. She barely fought with him, but whenever their different views and opinions towards the two species, which have been enemies since the beginning of time, would come into the picture, Caroline and Felix were bound to end up in an argument. After she ordered her frappuccino and a breakfast wrap, she sat alone in a table set for two near the window. She watched the people busily walking by from left to right and the rushing, on-going traffic stopping and going at the intersection. Her server came back with her food on a tray and placed it in front of her on the table. Caroline contently took a bite of her wrap and a sip of her frappuccino until a vibration erupted from her pocket. She pulled the new cell phone Felix bought her two weeks after she arrived at his doorstep, and read the new text message.

_Look, I'm really sorry, Care. I didn't mean to upset, but you know how we can be. You've always hated werewolves and I've always hated vampires. It's difficult to go from something you've always known to the complete opposite. All I know is that the longer I spend time with you, the more I learn to accept vampires. I hope my presence has the same effect on you too. So just come home, please? To make it up to you, we should go out to dinner. My treat. :)_

Caroline smiled before she started to text him back. _Okay. I'm sorry too. It's just as different as it is for me and we need to both accept that from each other. I've never had the greatest past with werewolves, but I know that I'm learning to accept the existence of them the more time I spend with you. And about dinner? How about you make us dinner tonight at the apartment. I'm just at Starbucks right now and I'll be on my way home when I'm done. :)_

Barely thirty seconds later, her phone vibrated again. _Sounds perfect. I'll see you soon. :)_

A new smile broke out on her lips again as she reached for her wrap. Caroline returned to eat her food until a voice suddenly corrupted her thoughts and overpowered the voices from outside the store.

_"Tell me where he is, Caroline."_

She knew that voice, which caused her to look out the window beside her. Caroline's eyes frantically looked around outside, until her eyes found Klaus standing on the sidewalk beside the bus stop across the street. He had his cell phone up to his ear to look like he was talking on the phone with someone, but he was staring intensely to where Caroline sat. It didn't surprise her that she could hear him, but by the look on his face, she knew he was up to no good with a menacing gleam smirk on his lips.

But Caroline ignored him, turning her head away from him and returning to her food. She barely got a third bite of her wrap before his voice came to her ears again. _"Tell me, Caroline, or I will compel someone to walk in front of the next car that passes by."_

Her eyes widened, her head twirled in his direction to look at him again, bringing her cell phone to her ear. "You wouldn't..." She whispered to herself so no human ear could hear her, but he sure could.

She saw him throw his head back and heard him chuckling sinisterly before looking at the crowded people in front of him who were impatiently waiting for the bus to arrive. _"Watch me. Which will it be? The exhausted and weary mother, or that man on crutches, perhaps that teenage girl with potential as a soccer player, or maybe that little boy walking too close to the road. Your choice, my dear."_

Caroline stood up from her chair, prepared to run for it. "Do not dare to involve an innocent, Niklaus." She hissed through her teeth.

_"Watch me, Caroline. You should have given up his location when I was calm and polite and reasonable. However, now, I'm impatient, ruthless and vengeful. Choose, my sweet, choose who will be hurt."_

Her hands clenched into tight fists. "None of the above."

_"That was not an option. Now it is my turn to choose. Decisions, decisions."_

Caroline's eyes widened again, she remembered she already paid for her food at the front table, so she just left in quick strides. But by the time she did, she watched him kneel to the ground, looking into the eyes of the helpless little boy and compelled him, who wasn't a day over six years of age. Caroline watched as Klaus disappeared from the crowd, walking away while the little boy distractedly turned around and stood on the curb, looking ahead of him and his body weaving back and forth, slowly losing his balance. She ran towards him, avoiding getting hit after she watched him balancing on his one leg, prepared to take that one step onto the road and be killed in an instance at the speed of the car. Just as a car was driving towards the kid, unwilling to swerve out of the way, his horn blaring to warn the kid to get out the way and the people at the bus stop yelling frantically to get the kid's attention, but he couldn't hear them due to his compulsion. So the boy stood in front of the racing car with a blank and absent look on his face. The man in the car driving towards the kid gave up on warning him with his car horn, he tried to break but even that couldn't save the kid in time. Just as the boy was about to get hit, Caroline ran in front of the car, scooping the boy in her arms and darting out of the line of fire, landing painfully on the sidewalk on her back. She looked into the boy's eyes, removing the compulsion from his mind, knowing that if she let him go out of her arms, he would have kept trying to get hit by car until he did. The people who stood at the bus stop surrounded her, the mother who was one of Klaus's options emerged from the crowd and thanked Caroline repeatedly as two men helped Caroline to her feet and she handed over the child to his mother.

Her eyes frantically looked in the direction where Klaus left, finding him standing at the mouth of an alleyway in the distance. Caroline slid out of the crowd and angrily ran after him. She walked into the alleyway, her switchblade in her hand and she circled around, ready for any attack at any angle. "Come out, Niklaus! I will not play this game with you." She called out into the eeriness of the narrow alleyway.

Suddenly, she was grabbed by her elbow, yanked back and thrown into the brick wall of the alleyway. Her body was tightly pinned to the wall with a body pressed up against her. She opened her eyes, focussing on Klaus's face evading her personal space. His hand was pinning her wrist to the wall with his knee, while his other grasped around her throat. Her armed hand gripped the switchblade at his throat, prepared to dig into his internal jugular vein. "I warned you, Caroline. You should have given up the information I requested before I would involve humans. I am aware that you are very and strangely affectionate towards the human race, so I used that against you. I knew this exactly how you would have responded to my actions. I knew you would have saved that boy if it was the last thing you did."

"Congratulations, you know and you're aware of what I do and what I would have done to save an innocent humans. You've done this before, in Spain. You turned all the humans against each other so that I would come out of hiding, and it worked. I did. But this now, I will not accept the fact that you can do whatever you please to get your way. You're like a child, stomping his feet and whining until he gets his way."

Klaus growled, gripping her throat tighter before pulling her head off of the wall behind her and slamming her head back into it angrily. "I am not a child, Caroline. I always get what I want, do you not get that? I will not stop until I do."

"Can't you just go back to your only friend? As I recall, he is the vampire you forced to become a greater monster because you knew that if he did resort to his old way, he would never return to his brother or Mystic Falls after what you made him do: drink and drain blood endlessly until he couldn't think properly."

He grits his teeth, breathing deeply through his nose and exhaling out sharply through it, choosing to forget her angry outburst of hurtful words. "I will not ask you again. Where is your werewolf friend?"

"And I will tell you again until you accept it. I. Won't. Tell. You."

"I could have always compelled it out of you." Klaus threatened before lowering his head to brush his nose to her neck. "I can smell in your bloodstream. There is not a hint of vervain in your system. I bet you have not consumed vervain since you left Mystic Falls, which was five months ago. The vervain has definitely been out of your system for that long as well."

"You said you would never resort to that, Niklaus. You promised you would never excavate my thoughts and my memories."

Klaus gently kissed her neck before he returned his stare into her slightly worried eyes. "True, but given that you are not very cooperative any other way alternative, I will have to resort to this, Caroline. I never wanted to, however I've given you numerous times to tell me willingly and freely with your own words. I'm sorry, but I must know where his location is. Whether you tell me or I fish out the words from your memory."

Caroline shook her head, squeezing her eyes closed. "No. I refuse. Not if my eyes are closed, you cannot compel me."

She felt a rumble in his chest, he laughed noiselessly and she felt his face lower to be inches away from hers, but she didn't dare to open her eyes to confirm it. Instead, she peaked through barely-halfway-opened eyes. "I have my ways to open your eyes, my dear." Klaus whispered before he ducked his face towards her until his lips touched her, his hand that was around her wrist teasingly rubbed her bare shoulder and down her sides until his hand found hers pressed against his thigh. Caroline's other hand trembling frenetically as she kept lightly pressed on his neck, but couldn't find it in herself to penetrate his neck and watch him bleed out. But she had to. She knew that, her body knew that. But as always, whenever he was physically this close to her, her intended attack couldn't go any further that this. She had to hurt him enough to distract him for her to get away. If she continued kissing him now, her guard would be thrown off again and she will end up opening her eyes so that he could compel her to tell him Felix's location. And that just couldn't be an option. A kid, a young and innocent child could have died from her stubbornness. Felix would never be on Klaus's kill list. Not if Caroline could help it.

And so, in the end, Caroline squeezed her eyes shut tighter than before and regretfully plunged the knife into his neck, cutting his jugular vein and he retracted off of her, flying back so that his body slammed into the opposite wall and he slid to the ground. Caroline felt tears slowly escaping her eyes after she opened them to see him sitting on the ground, looking up at her with squinted eyes and in disbelief. "I'm so sorry. But I can't let you hurt him." She whispered before disappearing, using her vampire speed to run away back to the apartment before Klaus could heal and follow her.

Caroline frantically ran into the apartment, quickly closing the door behind her and locking it. Felix came rushing into the room from his bedroom, his eyes wide with worry and confusion. "Caroline, what's wrong?"

She breathlessly leaned her body against the door. "I need you to do something for me, okay? Follow me." Caroline walked past him, down the hallway and into her room. She dug through her bedside table and pulled out a water bottle with a toxic herb blended inside among the water that was known as vervain. She turned around to see he followed her and stood in the doorway. "Drink this. I need you too, okay? It may taste different, but it will not harm as it would for me." She tossed the bottle at him, which he caught in his hand.

He unscrewed the lid and smelt the substance inside of it, his nose crinkling in disgust. "What is it?"

"Vervain. It will prevent you from being compelled by vampires. Vampires can compel you to invite them inside your home, and if they are invited inside, that's it. They can come and go as much as you please. I do not want that to happen to you. If you drink a little of this everyday, you'll have it in your system and not one vampire will be able to compel you to do anything. Until I buy a certain type of necklace or bracelet that I can put the herb in so that you can wear it everyday, drinking it everyday will have to do for now."

Felix raised an eyebrow, curiously. "What brought this up?"

"That vampire who sent his witches to bring us back to Mystic Falls months ago, the same vampire who chained you up for his sacrifice? Well, he broke his curse and now he's here. He wants to turn you into a hybrid, a vampire-werewolf crossbreed, but there is no guarantee that you will survive the transition so I stabbed him and ran back here before he could follow me."

"Is that why you asked me if given the chance, I would turn at freewill. Is that what a hybrid can do?"

Caroline nodded, sheepishly.

"And that vampire who wanted to use me in his sacrifice, can turn me into a hybrid because he's broken his curse and now wants to turn all werewolves into hybrids?"

Again, she nodded, avoiding his eyes.

Felix swung back the bottle and drank a gulp of the vervain water before screwing the lid back onto the bottle and placed it into his back denim pocket, which caused Caroline to look up at him in awe. "Well, luckily I don't want anything to do with him or becoming a hybrid, just to make him happy."

Caroline smiled. "I was hoping you would say that." She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him, which he accepted happily wrapping his arms around her small frame into a bear hug. "Thank you." She whispered into his chest as he placed his chin on top of her head.

He smiled. "Anytime, Care. I know you don't want me to willingly turn into what he is. And frankly, I want to do everything I can to avoid him. Not after everything he put you through."

Despite the fact that Klaus was probably wreaking havoc of the city, Caroline was safe in this apartment with Felix. And for now, she would forget the consequences for a second and return to enjoying Felix's company and undivided attention. Right now, she loved nothing more than his arms around her, as if they were walls to protect her from the outside world. And more importantly, Klaus's relentless and endless wrath.

**live2write123: like i said, not at all Klaroline friendly, BUT i can assure you that either the next chapter or the chapter after that will be about Klaroline :D thanks for reading and until next time, see yah later alligators! :D **


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

**live2write123: hey everyone! i'm so sorry for the hold-up but the summer is ending faster than usual and it's really taking its toll on me -_-. i knew i had to make this chapter really great to make it up to you. from now on, until further notice, i am going not to say when i'm going to update a chapter because one, i don't want get your hopes up. two, life happens and more important things get in the way of updating. and three, i don't to rush it just so i can update on time. so until my life isn't so hectic with college or other things in life, i'm sorry but i can make a plan when i can sit down and write a chapter because in the beginning i could usually start a new chapter directly after i update the previous chapter. lately, that hasn't been happening. i feel that when i rush, it's not nearly as good as it could be when i have a clear mind and i'm in the Klaroline zone. **

**ps. this is another chapter BEFORE season three happens, but in the next chapter, Klaus and Stefan will be in Tennessee looking for Ray Sutton, if Caroline's going with them, you'll have to see for yourself ;).**

**pss. thanks again for everyone who favourites, comments, and reviews. if i really can't think of anything to write a new chapter, i look over the past reviews you all have given me and it motivates me to write more for you :D thanks again! but please, review, alert, favourite, comment, and most importantly enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Desperate Measures**

_**Present Day (Reidsville, North Carolina)**_

One morning, Caroline was already awake ahead of Felix and decided to cook him breakfast before he went off to work. She remembered the night before, the bittersweet sister-brother moment. She confessed new information that she hadn't, but should have, told him immediately after she arrived unannounced on his doorstep five months ago. But she was surprised that he accepted the new information as if he knew she would always tell him the truth on her own time whenever she felt comfortable to do so. Just as she flipped the omelette on to the plate next to the buttered toast, Felix emerged from the hallway with his shirt tucked in, his tie undone around his neck and he was distractedly buttoning his shirt from the bottom up.

"Damn," he cursed under his breath, "I slept in again."

"It's all right. I cooked breakfast and you're eating it because it's the most important meal of the day." She said, placing their plates on the table before walking towards him. "Here, let me help.

He gave up on button up his shirt, watching Caroline take the reins and once she was done buttoning his shirt, she moved to his tie, expertly knotting it around his neck. "Would it be too personal if I asked how you know how to do this?" He said.

Caroline smiled. "I've had a lot of practice. End of story."

"And how much 'a lot of practice' are we talking about here?"

"A few."

Felix groaned. "Caroline. Stop being so vague and tell me the truth."

"I'm nine-hundred-years-old, Felix. And even though I'm vampire, I still have needs."

He looked down at her, with a tilted eyebrow. She meets his stares and rolls her eyes. "What? I'm being honest. Oh, and by the way, I put in a bit of vervain in your coffee. So it could smell a bit... herbal or earthy." Caroline said, walking to the table and sitting down at the chair next to Felix.

"That's not a problem. But what are you going to do today? You can't stay cooped up in here all day like a caged bird."

Caroline shrugged. "I went out yesterday morning."

"Yeah, because we were in a fight. Go out today for you, okay?"

She reluctantly agreed. "Sure, but can we eat now?"

"Of course. How can I pass up your delicious cooking?" Felix took his seat, picked up his fork and dug in to his food. Caroline smiled at him while he ate his food as if he was starved and he hadn't eaten for weeks. She knew the next full moon was around the corner, in at least three days, and he would be leaving the city soon to chain himself up with the rest of his pack. She was terrified that Klaus would make an unwanted appearance, and turn Felix into the same monster Klaus is. And as if Caroline would let that happen to him over her dead body she would.

When Felix had left, Caroline started to wash the dishes and began to think about the last time her last encounter with Klaus. It had been five days since then, and there was no sign of him. But that didn't she was out of clear yet. Caroline learnt the hard way that just because she hadn't seen him for days, didn't mean he was gone. No, he was definitely coming back and she knew this. But this time, she feared he would counter with a not-so-friendly retaliation after she stabbed him in order to prevent him following her home where Felix was. She couldn't involve another innocent person with her and Klaus's past. But bringing up what Felix mentioned this morning, he was right about one thing. At least he was partially right about it. She needed to get out for her, not because in the heat of an argument. But she also needed to get out to prove to Klaus that she's not afraid him. She'll never be afraid of him. She spent nine-hundred-years terrified and exhausted because of him. But not anymore. She owed it to herself to live as normal as she possibly could. With the dishes cleaned and sitting in the drying rack, Caroline pulled out her cell phone and dialled an old phone number she hadn't called for years, hoping the owner of this number was still hers. Caroline nervously held the phone to her ear, waiting three rings until the person on the other line answered it.

"Hey. It's Caroline. I've been living in Reidsville for five months now and I was wondering if I could stop by your home for a bit. I wouldn't be calling you if it wasn't urgent."

_**Present Day (Greensboro, North Carolina)**_

When she had gotten dressed into a black v-neck long-sleeved shirt and tight blue jeans, Caroline slid into her knee-high leather boots, her red raincoat and grabbed her clear umbrella before taking the elevator to the underground garage to get into her car. She could feel the cold silver dagger inside her boot through her jeans, reassuring that if he would make an appearance, she would be ready. But would he really hurt her? He never really did, at least not something that was as drastic and desperate as her attack five days ago. What really shocked Caroline was how she felt after she did it. She thought she would feel liberated and encouraged to finish him off. She waited to feel happy that she had caused him pain. But none of those feelings ever came. Caroline felt shocked that she didn't freeze out this time and was devastated that her bare hands could actually respond to memories of her family and stab him for it. She's been waiting centuries to cause him physical pain, but whenever she had the opportunity to do it to him, her hands froze and her buried feelings for him would take over what she initially planned to do. Today, she wanted to talk to a friend of hers from her past who knew everything about Caroline and Klaus, from Caroline had always told her.

After thirty minutes of driving South, out of the city of Reidsville, Caroline drove to Greensboro where her friend has always residing in for as long as Caroline could remember. Her name was Hannah and just by her maiden last name, everyone knew what she was. It was Bennett. She was one of Kathleen's descendents and one of Bonnie's cousins that she's never met before. Caroline parked her car outside of the nineteenth-century-old home in the middle of nowhere, getting out into the rain, up the front porch steps and nervously knocked on the door. About ten seconds later, a familiarly young African American woman who was only fifteen years of age. "Hello Caroline." She said, politely.

Caroline gulped. "Good morning, Hannah."

The girl opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Please, do come in."

She obeyed, bowing her head in appreciation as she stepped over the threshold and into the house. "Thank you."

The most shocking aspect of Hannah Bennett was how old she really should be. Even though, physically, she looked like a twenty-year-old woman despite her actual age, Caroline had actually met only twenty years after Kathleen had past away. Caroline clearly remembered that day more than anyone.

_**Flashback (Greensboro, North Carolina - 1995)**_

_After the night Niklaus had finally found Caroline and Elijah under the hidden protection of Kathleen Bennett, he had his most loyal hunters dagger Elijah with a dagger that had specific ashes on the end of it, rendering her best friend into an uncertain slumber and now, Niklaus had his brother's body with him, wherever he was in the world. When Elijah was carried away by Niklaus's men, he sealed the deal, torturing before murdering Kathleen in front of Caroline's eyes as a warning. He pointed down at her, cowering in the corner of the kitchen with blood on his hands and dripping down his chin._

"Do you not see what happens to those who you involve, Caroline? If you care about them, then do not hide behind my brother or another innocent person. I will not have to resort to killing them."

_And with that, he disappeared from her sight and her world. During the night, Caroline had called the police department of Las Vegas, claiming it was a burglary gone wrong and Caroline was returning home late from a gig at a bar. They carried away her body and promised to give her a proper funeral, which only happened two days after her murder. At the funeral, Caroline met the oldest child of Kathleen's who was in his late twenties. He was already married to a human and had a one-year-old daughter._

_"It was a pleasure to see you again, Anthony. I am greatly sorry for your loss." Caroline said to Kathleen's son._

_His pokerfaced features were difficult for even Caroline to read. "It is the price and the fate she received for protecting vampires. It is also the reason why I had moved out of that home before that monster from your past destroyed us all."_

_"Your mother was a courageous woman. I promised her I would watch over her kids and their children as well. You cannot stop me from trying, Anthony. I am not your enemy."_

_"I know how courageous woman was. She was my mother. When are you going to realize that vampires and witches are never going to be allies. Look at the catastrophe and damage you have caused. Now my daughter will never know how courageous my mother, her grandmother, really was. Thank you for that."_

_"Anthony, please understand that I never wanted this to happen."_

_"Of course not. But it did. And you will never be involved with my life or my children's lives. I will make sure you never do."_

_"I will always try. I never give up." _

It had been two decades, twenty years, since the funeral of Kathleen Bennett. And despite Anthony Bennett's warning and vow, Caroline kept her word to the late Kathleen and watched over her grandchildren. After Anthony's only child, Hannah, the one-year-old she met at the funeral, was all grown up and living on her own. She moved away from her childhood home, began living in Greensboro, North Carolina, and attending a college for only coloured people. It was during the horrible and racist time in American history. The Segregation between white and coloured people. At the time and desperate attempt to get to know the young witch, Caroline met her in a small café out of the city that allowed both coloured and white people to dine in the same restaurant but in different sections of the building. Caroline didn't want this to define her relationship with Kathleen's granddaughter, so Caroline broke the rules and began to get to know her. Somewhere along the years, she gradually became Hannah's best friend in secret meetings away from society. On her twentieth birthday, Caroline gave Hannah a necklace that Kathleen had given her with mystical powers to protect her from opposing supernatural monsters in the world. When Caroline finally came clear about her past and everything else that she hadn't told Hannah, the witch was surprising just as understanding as her grandmother.

"You are the vampire who has kept me, my parents, my aunt and uncle and their children, my cousins, alive all these years. You have also defied the Jim Crow Laws of this time. There is no reason for me to be mad at you, Caroline. I understand everything and all that you have been through." Hannah said. "We are friends, despite what we are and the circumstances we are living in."

Caroline agreed with her, thanking her for her hospitality. But Caroline refused to live in the same house as her after she had graduated college, not only was it prohibited at that particular time in history, but she was more afraid that Niklaus would repeat history and kill Hannah for her association with Caroline. However, once Caroline didn't make this to become another obstacle for her, so Caroline built a home on top of an underground home. She dug out a vast amount of space that Caroline would build to be her home, underneath the earth and hidden from the outside world with secret, mystical passageways that only Hannah and Caroline could open, and on top of Caroline's flat house would be Hannah's home where anyone could live a normal life from the prejudiced outside world. They were rarely seen in public together, apart from them driving out of town to hangout in the countryside wilderness where no one can judge them. Caroline protected Hannah from everything and anyone, from supernatural monsters to the white humans who follow the laws that are given to them. And ever since then, as long as Hannah wore the necklace that Caroline passed down from Kathleen, she never did age a day in her life.

_**Present Day (Greensboro, North Carolina)**_

Caroline waited patiently for Hannah to finish making the tea in the kitchen while she waited for her in the living room. After ten minutes of waiting, Hannah returned with a silver trey, matching tea set and biscuits she had baked. "I have not seen you for years." Hannah said. "I am curious to know why you decided to stop by now."

"I am greatly sorry for my absence, Hannah. He has been on my trail lately, closer then ever now."

"What has happened since the last time I had seen you?"

"He has recently broken the curse and now he is the most powerful monster ever to exist in the supernatural world. I have no idea how to kill him."

"As you know, I have been trying to find a way to kill him for decades now. However lately I feel as if the technique to end him is under my nose but I do not know what it could possibly be. I have read my ancestors' grimoires repeatedly and nothing has come up."

Caroline took a sip of her tea. "A few days ago, I was finally able to stab him with a blade. He is hunting werewolf packs down to turn them into vampires so that they could be what monster he is."

"Of course he is. He fears to be always alone and all he wants to be is loved by people, whether it is you or something he can force others to do. But tell me how it felt to cause him pain for the first time in nine hundred years?"

"I cannot confess that, Hannah. It's embarrassing to admit something I do not want to feel anymore."

"I could take it all away, if that is what you wish. I could take away the feelings you once felt while you were still human. Because as we both know, your feelings were heightened once you were turned into a vampire. And so your anger over your loss became your rage, your affection for him became love, your need for revenge became an obsession."

Caroline ran a hand through her hair. "The idea has never crossed my mind. In nine-hundred-years, I never thought about forgetting our past."

"Wait here. I'll be right back." Hannah got up and left the room, she returned with a small wide vial with a liquid substance inside and a string around it. "If you ever change your mind, this is it."

Caroline took the vial from her and eyed it, mysteriously. "What is it?"

"A forgetting tonic, but I've updated it. If you want to forget about Klaus and the feelings you once felt for him, think of that while you drink this to the very last drop. Generally, a forgetful remedy is only temporary, but this medicine is permanent. I placed a spell on the bottle so that it is indestructible and only you can be the one to open it."

"In that case, I will make sure my decision is final before I do drink this. But I do need to think about it. Thank you very much, Hannah."

"I just wish for you to be happy, Caroline. You've done everything to keep me alive. It is about I repay you."

"You don't owe me anything. You never did. You're friendship and assistance has always been enough for me."

Hannah smiled. "Thank you, my dear friend. In your absence, I will continue my search for a way to kill him." She took the vial from Caroline's hands, placing the string around her neck so that it was a necklace. "I hope you will drink this medicine. I can assure you that when you drink this, you will fall asleep and wake up without another dreadful happy memory of Klaus. You will never love him again and you will be able to kill him without anything holding you back, not even your human emotions."

"I will think about it and keep in touch. I promise. I just do not your grandmother's fate to be yours because of me, especially if he learns that you gave me this tonic."

"And if I do, I died with no regrets."

"That's not an option, Hannah. I will protect you from his wrath."

"I know you will." Hannah said with another smile. "As will I for you."

"Well, I'm better be getting back. I'm sorry this visit was short, but I will keep in touch with you. Call me if you ever find a way to kill him and I will let you know when and if I ever do find the courage within me to drink this."

"It is your decision. You could be the best vampire hunter ever to exist if you do."

"I'll keep that in mind, too. Thank you again, Hannah."

"My pleasure. Have a safe back."

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_After the sun had set for the day, Niklaus waited patiently by their meeting spot for Caroline to arrive. When everyone had gone to sleep, she mounted her horse and made her escape. Once she saw him, she jumped off her horse and ran into his arms. It had been days since they were alone together and Caroline couldn't bear another minute away. Niklaus contently accepted the embrace, enclosing his strong arms around her small frame and burying his face into her hair, smelling her and feeling her human warmth. When he pulled away, he mounted onto the horse's back, grabbed a chunk of its mane, and held his hand out to help Caroline up. She slid her hand into his and he yanked her up behind him where she tightly wrapped her arms around his waist to keep herself on the horse while he kicked the horse into a gallop and away further from the village. After they reached their destination, they were standing on a tall hill and looking over at the horizon. "It is a beautiful and breathtaking sight, Niklaus."_

_Yes you are. He thought to himself. "Indeed. My siblings and I have found it before we settled in your village a month or two back."_

_"Why have you brought me here?"_

_"To take a step out of your village. To enjoy a small amount of time away from everyone else who tell you what to do and where you go."_

_"I know I have been absent lately and we have spent a day together in weeks, but I cherish these rare moments more than anything, Niklaus."_

_"If given the chance to run away, would you take it?" He whispered._

_She looked at him with a smile. "Of course I would. But only if it were that easy."_

_"But it that easy, love. You can run away from this place and live your own life."_

_Her eyes widened. "How can I possibly live on my own? I know nothing about survival."_

_"You would never be alone, Caroline, because I would be there for you to help you."_

_She blinked, doubtfully at him. "You would do that for me, Niklaus?"_

_"I would do anything and everything for you, Caroline."_

_"Niklaus... I can never this place. If I do, it is because I am to be married. As a young suitable woman, it is my duty to my family and their name to fulfill their wishes. My life has been planned for me before I met you and felt this way for you."_

_"And what do you feel for me? Tell me now."_

_"I care for you, Niklaus. I always have. It hurts me to know that I will never see you again after this summer. There is no point to pursue anything between you and I, because at the end of it, all that will be left is disappointment and anguish. It is not fair for us to do that to each other."_

_Caroline looked into his eyes as heartbroken tears rolled down her cheeks. He knew he could never tell her the truth, the truth he never felt before. A side of him that never existed. But she would always faithfully stand her word to marry a stranger to satisfy her human family. It was only barrier between them from being together forever. But he could never be the one to forcibly remove everything she knew just to be with her. He knew what he had to do next as she turned away from and watched her walk back to the horse. He had to do something he never wanted to do. He had to let her go and leave before it was too late, and it would be the hardest task he could ever accomplish._

_**Present Day (Reidsville, North Carolina)**_

By the time Caroline returned to the apartment, it was already sundown. But Felix has yet to return home from work, which had ended an hour ago. She tossed her keys on top of the kitchen counter, shrugging off her raincoat and hanging up her umbrella before taking off her boots. She pulled out her phone and saw two missed calls from Felix, as well as a voicemail. Caroline listened to the message, it was Felix and he told her how he was working late and didn't when he would be home. But his work never made him work overtime, which caused her to call him back. After a few rings, he answered his cell phone. "Hey Felix. Where are you? I come home and you're not here." She said, cheerfully but worry was evidently within her tone.

"Good evening Caroline." A familiar, sinister British voice boomed through the phone, who wasn't obviously Felix's voice.

"Klaus." She seethed through clenched teeth. "Where is he?"

"No need to worry, dear. Your friend is right next to me. You see, I ran into your friend as he was about to get into his car and drive home. Luckily, I was around to have a little chat with him. But I'm surprised to discover that he has vervain in his system, so I could not compel him to come with me unharmed. Unfortunately, I had to use more drastic measures and desperate measures to make him go with me."

"If have hurt him, Niklaus, I will make you pay for it." She fumed.

"Then meet me, by yourself and unarmed, at the market square in five minutes. If you are not here in that amount of time, he will suffer the consequences."

Caroline was the first to hang up her phone, she grabbed her keys and stomped angrily out of the apartment, slamming the door closed behind her. She stood on the sidewalk outside of the apartment building before looking both ways to see no one around in the darkness. She used her vampire speed to run to the nearby market square in under five minutes for Felix's safety and health. Caroline stood in the middle of the square, bright lampposts were the only source light here and she circled, looking for Klaus and Felix. "I'm here!" Caroline called out to the darkness.

She heard a familiar alarming laugh coming from behind her, which caused her to whirl around in the direction of the sound. Emerging out of the darkness stood Klaus with his hands behind his back and Klaus alone. "Hello Caroline."

"Where is he?"

"He's safe... for now. As long as you're cooperative."

"What is it that you want from me?"

"To be honest, we wouldn't be in this situation if you had only given me what I wanted the other day."

"I wouldn't have given up Felix's location, even if you forced it out of me."

"As infuriating and continual it is, I deeply admire your loyalty to your friends. But look where we are now. I have your werewolf friend. But after what you did to me the other day to prevent me from following you to the apartment," he slowly walked up to her, backing her into the lamppost pole and caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "You stabbed me. I never thought you had it in you all these years, but you finally have the ability to physically hurt me."

"If I knew how I would feel afterwards, I would have never done it in the first place."

"Why would I believe you? You have been waiting centuries for it, given that you've had plenty of opportunities to hurt me. But you finally did."

"And whether you believe me or not, I felt horrible after I did it. I didn't feel happy. I didn't feel any different. But if you must compel it out of me, then do so now. I give you my permission. Or believe me when I say I'm sorry, Niklaus."

"Tell me, what are you willing to do to make sure I don't turn your werewolf boy toy into a werewolf?"

"What is it that you want? Ask for it and it is yours."

"Your allegiance."

She blinked. "You want me to be one of your loyal followers? What do you take me for? Unlike them, I'm not afraid of you and I won't do ruthless tasks to seek out your approval just so that I'm on your good side."

Klaus rolled his eyes, backing away from her. "Trust me, sweetheart, I already know that. But you've been with another man for five months now, correct? A man who is not me. We are not together, at least not yet, but for some reason I feel you've been unfaithful to me. And it hurts, more than the stab wound you caused, and I do not tolerate pain or jealousy very well, my dear. What am I going to do about it?"

"If I agree to your proposal, do you give me your word that you will never hurt him? Not now, not in future."

"As long as your near me, I have no reason to hurt any of your loved ones."

"Let him go first, so I know this is between you and I now."

"But of course." He looks over his shoulder where he walked out. "Bring him out, Stefan." He ordered.

Suddenly, Stefan walked out with a beaten and battered Felix walking in front of him. Felix's wrists were tied behind his back and so were his ankles with rope. From the last time that she seen Stefan, he had light and hope in his eyes. Now, she saw into the eyes of a broken man with nothing in his eyes at all. Not even hatred or despair. Literally emptiness and impassiveness were in his eyes. He shoved Felix into Caroline, who caught him and began cutting the rope off that was bonding his wrists and ankles together.

Klaus sighed sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Caroline, I specifically told you to come here unarmed."

"And you actually thought I would listen to you? Where you or your bloodthirsty puppet can harm me even more than I hurt you? As if I would be that foolish, Niklaus. For as long as I can remember, I've kept a knife in my boot just in case you ever made yourself known to me." Caroline turned to Felix, who was rubbing his sore and freed wrists. "Felix, I need you to get out of here, okay? This is between him and me, now. I'd feed you my blood, but that is key to turning you into a hybrid."

Felix's eyes flickered irritably to Klaus standing behind Caroline with his arms crossed over his chest and an arrogant smile on his lips. "As if I'd leave you alone with him again."

"Please. I'm begging you to leave. Wait for me at the apartment, okay? I don't know how long I'm going to be away, but my freedom is what he wants in order to keep you alive and werewolf. I never want you to become the same monster he is, okay? I'll be fine as long as your alive and healthy."

"I can't do this to you again, Caroline. I left you once, I'm not going to do it again."

"Then, I'm leaving you. It's the way it has to be now." Caroline leaned down and dared to kiss him on his lips in front of Klaus, which made him give his undivided attention, furiously and enviously looking onto to them. She pulled away from him only to press her forehead against his. "You have been my best friend in the absence of my utmost grief and self-hatred. I don't know what would have happened to me if I didn't start living with you. And I can never thank you enough for your hospitality and friendship. I will cherish it for as long as I'm still existing. I have lost a lot of people I care about, Felix. I refuse to put you on that list if I prevent it from happening."

He revealed his teeth and growled in disgust. "Fine, I'll go. For you. But promise me you'll be back. Promise me that you won't be gone for too long."

Caroline smiled at him. "You will be the first to know and see me, my dear friend."

"Stefan, take him back to the apartment. Do not harm him in process and then return here. We're leaving in the morning." Klaus fumed, which sent chills down Caroline's body as she watched Stefan literally drag Felix out of the market square. When they were gone, she felt Klaus angrily yank her flip her body over so that she was laying in the dew-layered grass and he was hovering over top of her, straddling her at her hips and pinning her wrists to the ground in one hand above her head and the other hand at her throat. His fangs were exposed and she looked absentmindedly up at the starry night sky above him, avoiding his livid hybrid eyes. "How dare you kiss another in front of me." He hissed lowly and throaty in her ear.

"It was a goodbye kiss. If I was never to see him again, I had to convince him to leave and reassure him that I was going to be okay. And let's get something straight here. I will kiss whoever whenever I want to in front of anyone. You do not control, Niklaus. You never did."

He growled, but was speechless because he knew it was true. And the truth is he never wanted to control her. Never wanted to force her or compel her to stay by his side. The challenging, strong, beautiful, full of light version of Caroline was the one he fell in love with. The nervous human but even more so the brave young woman who turned against everything that she knew and cared about to be a vampire out of love for a monster that could kill her in a blink of an eye. He popped his fangs back into his gums, removed his hand front her throat, the anger and veins diminishing from his face as he looked into her eyes with sympathy and interest. "No. I don't control you, Caroline. I never wanted to. You can have your freedom, Caroline. I will never be the one to take that away from you as I did to Stefan Salvatore. You have my word."

"You know, today I was given the option to forget about my past with you. Every happy memory I ever shared with you would be gone and I would be able to kill you without anything holding me back. All I had to do was drink this medicine in the vial around my neck and I would feel nothing for you."

"And now? Would you truly forget me if you could and everything that happened nine-hundred-years ago?"

She looked away from him, turning her head to avoid his eyes. "I don't know. It's nice to have the option to be free from you, although I'm not sure I completely like that idea. When I was human, I did love you. I mean, I was willing to give up and throw away everything for you. And look what has happened because of that selfish decision. For one moment, I wanted to something for me and being with you forever was what I wanted at the time. After that, my family and friends were the price for my selfishness. They were innocently killed to get your attention as a warning to leave my village. And you did. Of course you did. If it were me, I would flee as well and never look back. I no longer blame you for leaving. But I cannot let go of their deaths. For as long as I could remember, I blamed you for the inferno. And you are to blame for some of it. But now I know that I've been pointing my finger at you because you're easy to blame for and it takes the blame off of my own shoulders. Niklaus, I can never be selfish again because I cannot let someone else suffer under the consequences because of me. Everyone gets hurt because of me."

"Caroline, the fact is you care too much for others and I care too little. If you do not accept what is in the past can never be altered, this regret and humanity you carry along with you is going to the death of you."

She turns her head to look at him with satisfied sadness in her lifeless eyes. "Then I will know I died for someone else other than myself."

Klaus shook his head. "You really have given, haven't you?"

"I suppose. Who cares anymore. I don't mind accepting the fact that if I were ever to be killed, I would embrace it."

"No, I want you to fight for the reason that if you do not care about your existence anymore, then I sure as hell do. Always have, always will." He dove towards her, clashing his lips against hers rather frantically to prove to her how much he still cared and worried for her. He wanted her to fight, restore the strength within her eyes and fight for her life because she deserved to. If not for him, then for the people who couldn't or didn't. She owed it to herself to fight for her own life, because he couldn't bear to see her give up after all this time.

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_As the days began to lesson and Caroline spent more time with her mother to prepare herself for the day she would marry her betrothed husband, Niklaus was becoming more impatient and easily infuriated with those around him during his work. This morning, while everyone were still working on completing the new blacksmith house, Niklaus snapped over the smallest accident that one of the other workers caused, which led him to depart in a fit of rage. He stripped out of his perspiring clothes and went for swim at the pond where he first formally met Caroline a month and a half ago, trying to calm down because he could feel his inner beast float to the surface of his human facade. Suddenly, he knew he was no longer alone. Someone was watching him from the shadows. He growled an inhuman snarl. "Who goes there?! Show yourself!"_

_Caroline slowly walked out of hiding, cautiously walking towards the pond. "Niklaus. What on earth is on the matter with you?"_

_"Caroline, you should leave. You should not be here right now."_

_"I have been informed by your superior that you stormed out before you were dismissed and before your work was finished for the day. What provoked you to leave?"_

_"That it is none of your business."_

_"Tell me this instant, Niklaus."_

_He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "One of the workers has relentlessly been on my back. Today, I was finished being labelled as outsider and left. He's just lucky I did not hurt him for it."_

_"But you would never do that to him, would you?"_

_Niklaus looked at Caroline with cold sincerity in his eyes she had never seen before. "If given the opportunity, I would."_

_"No. The Niklaus I know never would hurt someone."_

_"Yes, well you do not know a lot about me."_

_"I know enough about you." She defended, unwaveringly. _

_He sadly shook his head. "I am afraid, Caroline, not enough."_

_"What ever do you mean, Niklaus? Have you lied to me?"_

_"I have not been honest with you."_

_"Then tell me, Niklaus. I have always told you the truth. Do I not deserve it in return?"_

_"Of course you do, Caroline. But I have always feared that if I did confess my past to you, I know that it would send you running as far away from me as possible in the opposite direction."_

_Caroline bravely stomped her way into the pond, completely and embarrassedly awake of his nudity below the water at his waist, until she stood in front of him with her hands at her waist. "I will only tell you this once, Niklaus Mikaelson. I can control what I can and cannot handle. I will be the judge of this new information you have been hiding from me."_

_His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You honestly want to know the truth?" _

_"I would not be here if I did not."_

_"I am not human. I was turned into the living dead known as vampires. My entire human family was turned into vampires by my witch mother. We are the first to ever exist, the first undead monsters to ever exist in the world. I appear human, physically, but I have inexplicable heightened senses and abilities. I can heal faster, run faster, and I am stronger than anything to exist in this world. my skin is ice cold, I do not eat human food and I can manipulate humans to whatever I want them to do. I can burn in the sunlight and we are weakened by a potent herb called verbana. And do you know I consume to keep my body from desiccation? Blood. Very much of it. It is all I think about every second of everyday."_

_Caroline held her cupped hands over her mouth, but stood strong against him as she looked into his eyes and saw the truth. "I have heard legends of such a family ever since I was child, but I never believed my grandmother until now. It is true, is it not? You were once dead, but you were brought back to life a monster. A strong, bloodthirsty, deceitful monster in the disguise of a human body. Whenever there was a death in village, they always blamed it on animal attacks, assuming it to be rabid mountain animals but they were all wrong, were they not? It was you or a family member of yours who drained their bodies." _

_"It is true. Whether it was me, or one of my family, we are to blame for their deaths. But we need to survive as well. It is the only way to survive in this world. I need blood to survive, Caroline, and this is why I never wanted to tell you. You would not see me as a the person you met when I first arrived here. You would see me as the monster as you are looking at me now."_

_"No, Niklaus. I am seeing you for you for once in two months. However I need to see you, the monster beneath the human facade you cannot help but hold up. Show me. Please, show me the truth. Show me what you really are."_

_Niklaus shook his head, looking and turning away from her. "I cannot, Caroline. I am shocked to see you still standing here, bravely looking me in the eye as if I have not told you life-changing news.. You are human, you can only handle so much." _

_"I am stronger than I look. I already told you what can and cannot handle, and if you have not noticed, I am still here. I can handle anything what you tell and show me. Please. I will not ask you again."_

_He took a deep breath of air, sharply exhaling through his mouth before looking her from head to toe. He looked into her eyes and suddenly, his eyes changed color. The whites around his beautiful blue eyes turned dark red as the dark veins wrinkled the surface of his skin under his eyes and down towards his cheekbones. And most importantly, his canines doubled their normal, human sizes and instead of a flat surface, they were razor-sharp and pointed. For as long as Niklaus could remember, everyone would tremble in fear before he would kill them and drain their bodies of blood. But she did not. Her eyes were wide, but not with fear. She was curious and captivated by him. What really shocked Niklaus was when she steadily but unshakably reached out to him and touch his face. She ran her fingertips over the creases of his veins, gently touching his fangs before she looked him in the eyes, cupping his face between her hands before she leaned into him until her lips touched his, proving to him that she was not afraid of him. That nothing he could do or say that is going to make her run in the opposite direction._

_**live2write: i really hope you all enjoyed this chapter more than the last :). i had to make it up to you all by making a very 'go Klaroline!' chapter with a lot of scenes, past and present. now i suppose this is cliffhanger because who knows whether Caroline will go with him or Klaus will bring her back to the apartment with Felix because at the end of this chapter, i feel there is a lot of mixed feelings and decisions that haven't been made up until the next chapter. i'll update when i can :) until next time, bye fellow Klaroline fans! :D**_


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

**live2write: hey everyone! i realize that i've just update the previous chapter but this chapter just started flowing immediately after i posted chapter twenty-six. so i'm happy and proud to admit that this chapter is ALL ABOUT KLAROLINE. everything. past and present, good and bad. but it's all about them :D. i noticed that after this chapter, how easy but how much effort it is to write Klaroline scenes to fit into one chapter. :P**

**ps. i was going to fit in the start of season three at the end of this chapter, but since this chapter is already over fifteen pages on my microsoft word, i've decided to start it in the next. so definitely in the NEXT chapter will be the start of season three where Klaus, Caroline and Stefan looking for those two woman who can lead the trio to Ray Sutton. this chapter is basically a treat for all those who had read the first half of this story, enduring the absence of Klaus and asking me when Klaus was going to finally appear. but what can i say? i'm a thrill-seeker :D. i love writing suspense, cliffhangers, and 'dang, did that just happen'? scenes :3. (although, most of the time, i don't like reading about it because i don't control when and how the writer is going to update the next chapter) :P.**

**pss. one of my most favourite feelings in world is opening up my email to see that someone has favourited, alerted, and more importantly reviewed or commented on the chapter. those who have review are the ones who push me to write another chapter for everyone. please, review, alert, favourite, comment, and most importantly enjoy! :D especially when i say to you all:**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONENT!**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Never Turning Back**

_**Present Day (Jackson, Tennessee)**_

The following morning, Caroline woke up to a hazy memory of the night before. She wasn't dead, that was for sure. But she could have mistake this as heaven. The bright summer sun was streaming in through the pale curtains and everything around her was white. When her adjusted to the glowing environment, she sat up to find herself in a vast room with nothing but white furniture. She looked down, wearing a black, oversized Henley t-shirt that reached her mid-thighs and the three buttons at the top of the shirt were undone. Caroline cautiously looked around her, assuring her that she was alone before she picked up one of the open lapels of the shirt and inhaled a deep whiff of it through her nose. Her eyelids instantly closed over as she reminisced of Klaus's musky man cologne. It was definitely his shirt. But that meant he had to of undressed her to get her into his shirt, and that idea embarrassed as well as scared her a bit.

She pushed the white duvet off of her body, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up before walking over towards the white French doors that led to a balcony outside. Her bare feet padded across the narrow balcony and placed her hands on the railing. The view was spectacular and the weather even more so. It was late in the morning and surprisingly, where she was or who she was with didn't bother her whatsoever. All that she did know was that she was no longer in Reidsville, let alone in North Carolina anymore.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." A hoarse voice murmured behind her.

Caroline spun around to see Klaus leaning in the doorway, holding two mugs of coffee, his bare chest exposed for the world to see and he was only wearing dark blue plaid pyjama pants that were low on his hips so that the Adonis belt lines below his observable abs were just as distracting. "Niklaus. I didn't hear you."

"Forgive me, love. It wasn't my intention to startle you." He handed her one of the mugs. "Here."

She held the warm mug. "Thank you." Caroline took a sipped the coffee before she looked out to the view again. "Where are we?"

"We are in Jackson, Tennessee. An old fellow from Memphis led Stefan and I here to find two ladies that will lead us a man named Ray Sutton and to their pack."

Caroline returned her stare at him, this time she was glaring at him. "Like that man you killed for this information, correct?"

He sighed, exasperatedly. "There are two groups of people I categorize in these situations, Caroline. Firstly, there are people I associate with who are merely stepping stones and the only value they are to me is the knowledge and information they can give me to get to what I want in the long run. Whether they confess it willingly or unwillingly, it does not matter to me. And then their are people who are of value to me that will be given success in the end as long as they agree with me and cooperate with me. Ray Sutton is one of those rare beings that is valuable to me, whether he wants my help or not."

"And about those two woman you are currently hunting down. Are you going to kill them, if or when, they tell you this Ray Sutton's whereabouts?"

"Presumably. They would no longer be important or helpful to me, so I might as well as dispose of them before they give away any confidential information because after they meet me and know of my plans, they are worthless liabilities to me that will later bite me in the derriere if I do not finish them off when I have chance to."

Caroline snorted. "It is typical of you to think that deathis your only option. You are aware that you have the ability to compel people, humans or werewolves and even vampires. There are alternatives so that you and the person you plan on killing are both satisfied in the end."

"I am no saint, Caroline, nor have I ever claimed to be one. This is who am I, what I do, how I live and not even you can change that about me."

"Charming. Now I understand why I haven't, in nine-hundred-years, had the slightest idea why and how I fell in love with you in the first place. Foolish human, wretched memories and naive emotions. Rest-assured, it lesson I've learnt over the centuries. And it is a mistake I do not plan on making again."

"Then, what are still doing here? You could have fled when everyone was asleep and their guards were down. But you didn't."

"Do you not try to pin anything on me. The question is why did you bring me with you, Niklaus?"

"I admit, I was worried that you have given up on everything you have defended for as long as I can remember. I looked into your eyes last night, Caroline, and I did not even see the hatred and betrayal you have fuelled pointing towards me for nine-hundred-years. I knew that if I left you behind again, who knows what great extents of a suicide mission you would go to reach. And I could not let that happen. I am a lot of things, Caroline, and a selfish man is one of them. And I refuse to watch the light drain out of your eyes because you have given up. Not if I can help it."

"What are you going to do? How could you, the person who drains the very life out of me, prevent me from disappearing into a suicide mission?"

Klaus smiled wickedly at her. "I have a few tricks up my sleeves."

Caroline defiantly placed her hands on her hips. "Speaking of sleeves, one: do not ever undress me while I am unconscious."

"I did not touch you, Caroline, other than carrying you to bed. If it were between Stefan and myself, you would choose him. So I told him to change you out of your clothes and into one of my shirts, given that Stefan is now an emotionless ripper and nothing sexually could affect him unless you were human and had human blood coursing through your veins for him to feast on."

"Fine, granted, but number two," her eyes fell from his eyes redundantly to his bare chest before embarrassedly she turned away, "put on a shirt already. I can visibly see that you do not sleep with a shirt on." Caroline muttered.

"Essentially, my dear, I sleep with no clothes on. But give me some credit, love, at least I put on pants for you so that you would not blush, at the sight of my glorious nudity, even more so then you are now." Klaus graciously and proudly bowed. "But alas, my sweet, if the sight of me shirtless is a distraction to you, I will put on a shirt for you."

Caroline finished making her bed, and then sat on the end of it, her patience wearing thin as she waited for Klaus to finish getting dressed in the other room. It had only been ten minutes when he reappeared in her room, showered, groomed and dressed. He wore a dark gray thermal, long-sleeved, v-neck shirt beneath a black cargo jacket and matching dark denims. Caroline recognized his necklaces different shapes and sizes loosely wrapped around his neck. The necklaces that he had collected over the centuries and even some were present since the very beginning. How clearly she remembers toying with those knotted, handmade necklaces while they laid with their bodies intertwined together in the fields away from her village at night and underneath a summer blanket of stars.

"Caroline?" Klaus asked, realizing that she was staring distractedly at him. "I know I look great, but there is no need to gawk."

That shook her out of her peaceful reverie. She looked up at him grumpily before standing up. "Very funny, Niklaus." Caroline grumbled.

He clapped his hands together and then quickly rubbed them together. "Well, we should be on our way now."

She tilted an eyebrow at him. "Where to?"

"You and I are going to spend the day sightseeing Jackson. Surprisingly, I haven't been here in centuries and I am unaccustomed to what has changed and improved with this city."

"What about Stefan?"

"Caroline, I did mention that it would be 'you and I', meaning no one else other than us."

She rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "He better not spend the day at the breakfast bar in the front lobby of this hotel, draining the waitress behind closed doors."

"No, I have already strictly informed him to wait until tonight to drink. He is spending the day running an errand for me."

"And what type of errands is it, Niklaus?"

"Must I confess every little detail to you, Caroline? Where is the fun in surprises if I confess you everything I plan on accomplishing?"

"If you want me to believe you with every word that comes out of your mouth, then of course it's essential that you tell me everything you have up your sleeve."

"He left to fetch a package of wolfsbane from a local vampire dealer in the city."

"Why would you need wolfsbane, when you can easily overpower a few werewolves, even on the night of a full moon?"

Klaus walked towards her and looked into her eyes with honesty and seriousness in his eyes. "You really want to know the truth? The wolfsbane is not for my safety, love. It is for you and Stefan's protection in case I cannot successfully handle the situation tomorrow night. There could be ten or twenty werewolves we are meeting with inside this pack, but I do not know for sure. Nevertheless with your and Stefan's existences at risk, I need reassurance that you will be safe in case I cannot be there to directly protect you."

Caroline caught her breath at a loss of words. She knew he was telling the truth, and knowing that he was both serious and uncertain, it made her even more worried at what has yet to come. But at this moment, she realized that they both needed to put aside their differences and severely trust and rely on each now more then ever. She gulped down a lump in her throat and nodded him. "I trust you, Niklaus." Caroline whispered, returning the honesty and seriousness back at him through her eyes.

His grim and assuring features diminished as rare softer features surfaced. "I am delighted to hear those words from you, Caroline. You can go back to hating me tomorrow, but for now, I need you to put your trust in me."

For some odd reason, pointing out her hatred for him now stung her heart a little bit. "I do. And you need to as well, Niklaus. For tomorrow night, I am your ally."

"Good. I am glad to have you aboard." He abruptly backed away from her after his stare lingered at her lips for too long. "Now, we should not waste another minute in this stuffy hotel room."

"Sightseeing does sound interesting, Niklaus. But imagine all of the attention I would receive only wearing your shirt out in public."

He smiled devilishly at her, his lustful eyes slowly examining her body from head to toe. "In my opinion, I'd prefer you with no clothing at all, love."

Caroline nodded, surprisingly confident despite his straightforwardly honest words. "I bet you would. But would you really allow me to walk the streets in front of everyone without any clothes one? Where men can look at me with shameless eyes and sexual thoughts of what they would do to me if I were ever alone with them." She teased him, sitting down on the edge of the bed while running her hand up and down her smooth leg, deliberately and seductively pulling the hem of the shirt further up her thigh.

Niklaus began to turn away from her, visibly struggling to look away from her tempting state. But after finally surrendering into the persuasion, he suddenly used his vampire speed to run over to her, pushing her back onto the bed and pinning her wrists to the mattress in one hand above her head and with a leg on each side of her waist. "You, my dear, are playing a dangerous game with the devil." He groaned thickly in her ear.

"Well, that is what you get for sexually revealing your daydreams and desires to see me naked in front of you, Niklaus. I had to use drastic measures to get your attention so that you are aware that my association with you, I only signify business here."

"You little vixen. Only you can ever have the power to persuade me into such blissful fantasies, my love. And besides, we could always make our association and business very... personal indeed."

"Tempting, but I'll pass. I meant what I said. Now, you might want to go have a cold shower while I get changed into the clothes I wore yesterday."

"Make no mistake about it, I will never give up on you, Caroline Forbes." And with that, he unpinned her wrists and jumped off of her. "The shower is calling for you, love. By the time you are finished, your clothes shall be clean from the washing machine downstairs."

And it was scary how much Caroline truly believed him. If he wanted to have given up on her by now, he would have forcibly removed her from his life and the world centuries ago.

After Caroline finished her short shower, she braided her damp hair back and out of her face before she walked out to her bedroom where her cleaned clothes were spread out on her bed with a little note on top of the clothes.

_I am waiting for you in the front lobby. Meet me there when you have finished._

_- Nik_

She didn't know how long he would wait for her patiently and she didn't want to find out the hard way, so she quickly got dressed into her black, long-sleeved shirt and tight jeans from yesterday, pulled on her black knee-high suede boots, shoving her wallet and room key into her pockets, but couldn't find her cell phone anywhere. But then she sighed, knowing exactly where it was. She left the suite, taking the elevator to the main floor and the lobby, where Niklaus was waiting for her lounging out on a couch in the waiting room. She marched to him, holding out her hand towards him. "I know you have it."

Klaus looked up at her, innocently. "Have what, love?"

"My cell phone. I know you have it. Hand it over."

He sighed, getting to his feet and instead of listening to her, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why should I do such a thing?" He asked, childishly.

"Because it's my property."

"And you need it." Klaus assumed without asking her.

"Yes, it's my phone. Of course I need it. Now give it to me before I make a scene in front of everyone in this lobby."

"No, you need for a particular reason, Caroline. And I already know this reason, but I want you to say it out loud."

"This is ridiculous, Niklaus. I have no idea what you're talk-"

"Your werewolf friend. You want to call him, responding to his endless missed messages, and reassure him that you're fine and alive, given that he is evidently worried sick about you're safety."

She crossed her arms over her chest, defeated. "It's truly none of your business what I do or who is involved with my life."

"Then, I'll make it my business. And we both know I can and I will do just that. However, I felt obligated to turn off the GPS system in your cell phone so that he cannot track you down and find our location. I'll let you call him for five minutes, but that is all I'm giving you."

"I can talk to him as long as I want to, Niklaus. You do not control me."

"If you wish to see your cell phone again and talk to him again, you will act upon my simple request. I will not share you with any other man, Caroline, especially when you are here with me and not there with him."

She rolled her eyes, dramatically. "Fine, whatever, five minutes. Now hand it over."

Klaus dug out her phone from his inside his coat pocket and slid it into her hand, which Caroline snatched away from his grasp before turning away from him and walking away. She looked at the ten missed calls, voicemails and text messages, all frantically worried about her well-being. She dialled his number and waited after one ring to here him pick up. "Caroline?!" He shouted into the phone, disbelieving and hopeful at the same time.

"Yeah, it's me."

He sighed, reassured that it was her voice. "Hey, why haven't you answered any of my messages?"

"Look, I can't talk for long. I'm being watched and I only have five minutes to explain everything. I don't know how long I'm staying with him and I don't know when I'm going to see you again, but wait for me, okay? I'll be back in Reidsville before you know it. I promise you."

"Where are you, Caroline? I'll come and bring you back here."

"I'm sorry. But I can't involve you with business anymore. I was lucky enough to prevent you from becoming a hybrid last night."

"Your freedom was the cost for my life, Caroline. Again. This is the second time you've saved me. Let me save you this time."

"You're worth it, Felix. You've truly given me a normal life for five months and I can't thank you enough for it. I never deserved it, but you gave it to me with open arms. I am in your debt."

"No, that's not fair, Caroline, and you and I both know it's true! You've been running from that vicious and sadistic monster for as long as you could remember. It was the least I could do at the time."

She sobbed into the phone for only him to hear. "I'm so sorry, Felix. But I will return to you someday. I don't know when and I don't know how, but I will. This isn't the end."

"And I will wait for that day to come, Caroline. I promise."

"And by the way, don't worry about me. I've dealt with him for nine-hundred-years, I know I can handle him for a few days."

"That's my girl. Be strong and don't let him bully you. It's what he wants."

"I know. Goodbye Felix."

"No, there is not a goodbye for us, okay? We will say, 'I'll see you soon', because we will one day."

"Okay. I agree. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon."

Caroline pulled the phone away from her ear, pressing the end button to see the duration time of the call. _4:59_. She shoved her phone the back pocket of her jeans, wiping away her fallen tears before spinning around to see a surprised and speechless Klaus standing a few meters away from her. Her cold exterior finally returned to her face as she marched her way to stand in front of Klaus with her hands on her hips. "A second to spare. Are you happy now, now that you got what you wanted?" She snapped at him.

"Caroline, I never knew how much he meant to you."

"Well he does mean a lot to me. We've never done anything, if that's what you've always been wondering. Actually, last night was our first kiss, even though it was in front of you and it was done to hurt you. And recently, I actually thought for a second I could let go of the past and the resentment I hold for you and be happy with someone else who deserves me. But once again, you took away my happiness. Congratulations. But you know what? I've drastically lost interest in sightseeing the city with you. And for a second, I was actually considering turning over a new leaf, putting aside our differences and have fun with you like we had done on numerous occasions while I was still human. But that idea is long gone." She took at her phone and shoved it into his chest. "But here's my phone. Just in case you get any ideas that I'd call him behind your back and without your bossy permission."

Caroline turned around, heading towards the empty elevator, walking inside and pressing the button to the floor of her suite. She watched Klaus put her phone in his pocket and as the automatic doors began to close, he used his vampire speed to rush over to the elevator and push the doors open. He stalked inside, his posture determined and unrelenting while his eyes were ablaze with rage and fire and even Caroline feared for her life now that they were alone together in a elevator. As the elevator began to bring them up to the requested floor, he was looking shamefully down at the down and immediately struck out his hand an pressed the 'emergency stop' button in order to stop the elevator from moving. He looked up at her when the elevator did stop and slowly walked towards her until she was cornered into one of the corners of the small elevator. She was breathing heavily, her heartbeat thudded irregularly in her chest, and her throat was dry while her wide eyes looked at him with fear and wonder. He placed his palms firmly on the cold wall of the elevator on each side of her head, boxing her in. "Do not _ever _talk to me like that again, Caroline. I am not one of your mutual friends you can just ignore and avoid and walk away from because of a confrontation, leaving it unsolved between us. When will you finally understand that I will never let you go again so easily? I speak the truth and nothing but the truth when I say there isn't and never will be a place in this world where I cannot find you. Enough is enough. Is there still hope that you will ever forgive me for my flaws and love me again as you once have before?"

"I will not be that weak little human anymore, Niklaus. I can never forgive you. And as every vampire has grown to have knowledge of, never for a vampire is an awfully and exhaustingly long time."

"It will drive me mad if I ever learn to grasp the fact that all hope for forgiveness is lost. But after everything we have been through, Caroline, I can truly never let you go. And I agree with you, never is very much an awfully and exhaustingly long time for a vampire. However," He looks into her eyes with the same sincere and guarantee, "I have waited nine-hundred-years for you to forgive me and love me again. I know I can wait another nine-hundred for you."

After Klaus was finished, silence filled the tight space as he slid her phone into her jean pocket before backing away from her and pressing the 'emergency' button again to start up the elevator again. When the doors open to their floor, Caroline got out but Klaus stood behind, silently and emotionlessly looking elsewhere while Caroline watched him until the doors closed, Klaus disappearing behind them. She staggered her way back to the room, closing the door behind her before running and falling onto her bed. It was only noon, but Caroline didn't care as she sobbed and cried until she fell back to sleep.

When Caroline woke up, it was four-thirty in the afternoon. She sniffed back her tears while her sore eyes opened to see that someone had placed a blanket on top of her sprawled out body. Caroline sat up, the blanket falling off her shoulders as she reached up to wipe her tired eyes. She found a note and single rose on her opposite pillow to her bed.

_Caroline, despite our words, we have left things unresolved in the elevator earlier today and I want to make amends. I know you don't, but I desperately need it. So please, if you would be so kind to meet me at the restaurant downstairs at five o'clock this evening. I have purchased a dress for you at a local boutique, which you will find hanging on the curtain rod. I will wait for you until quarter after five. After then, I will know I have lost you forever and you can return back to Reidsville tonight. The decision is yours and I will not punish you for it._

_Yours truly, Niklaus_

Caroline looked up at the beautiful vibrant red cocktail dress hanging off of the curtain rod beside her bed. It was strapless, purposely wrinkled, and skin-tight. She knew the decision she had to make. But she also knew that this was the way to return to Reidsville where Felix was. She could have her happily ever after with someone else and Klaus promised he wouldn't get involved with it this time. This was basically a decision between two men that both cared for her deeply. Caroline got out of bed, unhooking the dress off of the rod and holding it up against her body in front of the body mirror hanging on the bathroom door, pondering on what to choose. Or rather, _who_ to choose.

_**(live2write123: by the way, i really was going to leave it here on another cliff-hanger and split the chapters into two BUT i'm feeling less cruel and torturous then usual today :3 so please continue reading if you want to find out what happens next ;))**_

Klaus paced back and forth in a line in front of the doorway of the restaurant. He had changed out of his day clothes and was now wearing shiny dress shoes, a dark blue dress shirt with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms and the shirt was tucked into black trousers. He knew the risk he was making, his chances were slim to none but he kept his hopeful eyes open. His eyes scanned the crowded lobby, desperately looking for a beautiful glowing blonde dressed in red.

And then he saw her.

The elevator doors opened to reveal an even more beautiful sight of Caroline Forbes then he imagined. She wore the dress he bought her, matching shoes and her hair was naturally wavy from the braid she had worn before and pinned back into a loose bun. And to top of her model looks, she cut off the steam of the rose he left on her pillow with the note and pinned it to the corner of her dress like a man would wear a boutonnière on his wedding day or prom date. Klaus snapped himself out of his trance and met her halfway, bowing towards her and offering her his hand. "Good evening, love."

She accepted his hand and curtsied. "How do you do, good sir?"

Klaus smiled when he looked in his eyes. "I thought you would never come."

"Niklaus, I know Felix is safe where he is. But I also know that I am safe where I am."

"Of course you are. Under my watchful eye, no one will ever hurt you."

Caroline recoiled, biting her bottom lip embarrassed. "May we dine?"

Klaus chuckled, offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She linked her arm through his. "Yes, we shall."

Klaus escorted Caroline to their table, pulled her chair out like a gentleman before taking his seat across from her. After they ordered their food, the waiter dressed in a bow-tie, dress shirt and trousers took their menus and left. Klaus took a sip of his water before turning towards Caroline, but she was busily distracted watching the couples on the dance floor in front of the bad, slowly swaying to the jazz music. He followed her train of stare and stood up, offering Caroline his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

She looked at his hand before looking into his eyes. Caroline nodded, sliding her hand into his, rising to her feet and following him to the dance floor where other couples began to come and go and dance as the song: _"I'd Come For You" by: Nickelback _came onto the loudspeakers. Klaus held Caroline tightly against his body, his right hand holding hers while his other rested gently on her lower back. He could feel her entire body tensed under his touch as they swayed to the music. "Relax." He whispered in her ear.

Caroline shivered at his husky request. "Telling me to relax is an ineffective way make me relax."

He chuckled in the back of his throat. "Tell me, why are you so nervous, love?"

"You are not the most predictable individual, Niklaus.

"There is no reason to be afraid, Caroline. The safest place you can ever be is in my arms. Relish in our rare proximity while we can."

"I have not had the pleasure of dancing with you in a very long time. Forgive me if I am little jumpy."

"Have you forgotten how wonderful of a dancer I am?"

Caroline smiled, wickedly. "Yes, indeed. I should know. I taught you everything there is to know about dancing with a partner."

Klaus looked at her with mischief and humour. "I do believe the roles were reversed on who taught who how to dance."

"Please, Niklaus. I have been leading you around the dance floor ever since our first dance."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever puts you to sleep at night, dear."

Caroline's smile deepened, leaning in towards him so that her head was in the crook of his neck, inhaling the same cologne she smelt on his shirt that she wore to bed last night. "What are you doing, Caroline?" His voice rumbled in his throat.

"Taking your advice and relishing in our rare proximity, Niklaus, what else?"

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_After the night Niklaus confessed what he was, he told her the rest. How his family were turned into vampires and what happened afterwards. He was utterly shocked out how she completely understood and believed him, how curious and intrigued she was in what he was. But that never changed their reality. During the day, they were separated by their duties and were more and more prohibited to speak to each other in public. Even the chief of the village warned Niklaus to leave Caroline alone. But little did anyone know, during the nights, while everyone were asleep, they would meet and spend the night together for a few hours before they returned to the village to sleep. One night, on the night before her betrothed husband would arrive in her village to meet her, Caroline laid in Niklaus's arms underneath the blanket of stars._

_"What is it like being what you are?" She asked, suddenly, as her fingers played with his beaded necklaces. _

_His fingertips traced over her bare back. "It would take you human lifetimes to fully have the knowledge what is to be like me."_

_"Have you ever turned someone?"_

_"Caroline, I have only been a vampire for thirty-eight-years. Within those years, I have not had the time to turn a human into what I am, nor have I found a human worthy enough to be turned."_

_"Would I be worthy?"_

_"What are you intending here, Caroline?"_

_"I don't know, I have been thinking what it would be like to be like you."_

_"It is not something to fantasize about, Caroline. You are to be married within the next few days. You should have your mind focussed on that."_

_Caroline snorted, annoyed. "Now you sound like my mother."_

_He sighed, impatiently. "I could never find the will to turn you, Caroline. It is not an option for me to take away your human life."_

_She propped herself on her elbows so that she could look him in the eyes. "You are the one who has been putting ideas into my head, Niklaus. About the freedom I have to live my life the way I want to. No one has ever given me the option, but you did and now I know I have that right. Why not start it with becoming what you are?"_

_"And you do have the right to live your life. But you would never understand, Caroline. There is more to becoming what I am then simply being turned into one."_

_"Then, please enlightened me, Niklaus."_

_"Everything you feel right now and everything that you are right now would be intensified. Anger becomes rage, grief becomes misery, love becomes adoration. And even your human behaviour and traits becomes magnified. That is not the worst part, Caroline. The blood. The thirst and need for human blood would take you decades to tame and control. And during that excruciatingly long period of time, it is all you think about. The demand for human blood can drive you mad and frantic. I cannot pass the obsession for blood onto you, Caroline."_

_Caroline rolled her eyes before standing to her feet. "I would rather endure and manage bloodlust than live the life that is planned out for me. I already know what life I am going to live. I am to be married to this stranger, provide children with this man, watch him go off to war, observe my children grow up and leave me as well to live their own lives. I will spend the rest of my life worrying over when and if my husband will return to me alive, and then I would die of some disease or old age alone." _

_Niklaus got to his feet as well, irritably running his fingers through his hair. "Caroline, I will not feel guilty into turning you. You have the power and will to do what you want with your life. Becoming a vampire, an undead monster, is not the alternative to live a normal life. You could not possibly understand the education and discipline that a vampire has to learn and endure."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Amusing. I was going to say the same about you. You could not possibly understand the heartache and pain a young woman, such as myself, has to endure for the rest of her miserable, predictable human life. Some say most woman will never make it past the age of twenty-five. Heck, I will be lucky to live to thirty."_

_"The other night, Caroline, a few nights before I told you what I was, you refused to runaway with me. Do you think that if I turn you, we could runaway together?"_

_"Yes of course. I declined your offer at first because I knew I would never make it on my own. Even if I had your assistance, I would be known as the girl who ran away from her premeditated life and disgraced her family's name."_

_"And do you not think that becoming a vampire and running away with me will not do the same to disgrace your family's name?"_

_Her jaw fell open. "If you are so determined on not turning me in what you are, then what are you still doing here? We are only prolonging our final goodbyes at the end of this summer. After my betrothed and I meet in the morning, I will married by tomorrow evening and overnight, I will be gone from this village and never returning. I would rather die prematurely than be carried away to live a life of misery and confinement. And Niklaus, I greatly hope that you are the first to watch me bleed out to my own death." Caroline spun around, marching towards her horse only to be stopped by Niklaus, who had used his incredibly fast vampire speed to stand in front of her and grabbed her shoulders._

_"Take that back, Caroline." He growled, vehemently._

_"Never! I meant every word!"_

_"I will never be the first to watch you die, Caroline. Do not ever wish that upon someone."_

_"I already did. And I meant it. Do you not see, Niklaus? You are my only saviour to save me from this tolerated and wretched life."_

_"Do you even know the system of becoming a vampire? I must kill you with vampire blood in your system, then you would resurrect in transformation and you must kill a human to complete the procedure. An innocent human and drain their body dry of blood." _

_She quickly shook her head. "I don't care! I just want to be with you, Niklaus. Is it not obvious? I do not want this life anymore. I cannot simply run away from it, I want to be by your side forever. Is that too much to ask for? Can I not be with you forever?"_

_"What are you confessing to me, Caroline?"_

_"At the time when you asked me if I knew what love is, I did. But now I do. I know what love is because I love you, regardless of everything that you are and what you have been through in thirty-eight years that you have lived. I want to experience immortality and I want you to be there to show me everything that you have seen."_

_Klaus stared at her in suspicion as his arms from her shoulders to her side. "You lie, Caroline."_

_"I would never lie to you, Niklaus, nor would I lie about this. I know what I feel and _

_"Caroline, how can you possibly love me?"_

_"I just know I do. I do not liked to be questioned about my actions and feelings. One day, I woke up one morning and I did not see you as friend anymore. You mean more to me than that. I care and worry about you too much to not confess these words to you." _

_He scratched the back his neck, sheepishly. "Forgive me, Caroline, but I do not feel the same way about you."_

_Caroline looked into his eyes with tears rimming around her eyelids. "You and I both know you do not speak the truth. If I did not mean so much to you, you would have left me weeks ago. If you did not care about me, you would have never given me the time of day to spend it with me. You will regret this, Niklaus."_

_She spun around, mounted the horse and galloped back to the village, her hair flowing in the wind as well as her tears. Niklaus stayed behind to watch her heartbrokenly leave his side, possibly forever, which brought him to shed tears for the first time since when he was still human. "I already do." He whispered to himself, wiping away the evidence that his undead, cruel, vicious heart can still care for someone other than himself._

_**Present Day (Jackson, Tennessee)**_

After their dance and the song came to an end, Klaus led Caroline back to their table as they were served with their ordered foods. While she ate, Klaus noticed her distracted look in her eyes and the silence that was settling in between them since their dance together. "What is floating around in that head of yours, enough to silence you during our dinner? Is something wrong with your food?" He asked.

Caroline blinked out of her trance, looking over at him embarrassedly. "N-No, not at all. It's delicious. Forgive me. My mind appears to be somewhere else right now."

"What are you thinking about, love?"

"The night before my human wedding." She admitted, honestly.

Klaus seemed taken aback at her sincerity. "Ah, yes. The night you confessed your love to me."

"And you rejected me. All day I had thought and practiced of what and how I was going to tell you something I've never felt before."

"My apologies, my dear. But taking into consideration that I have never been in love and that nobody has ever loved me before you. I was utterly shocked and thrown off guard at the time. I could not reciprocate the same way you felt about me because I knew what you wanted from me."

"Sometimes I wonder how my life would end up like if I had never met you. I would have naturally died centuries ago with my human life and I would have never met any of the people that have become my friends over the centuries."

"I honestly do not what would have happened if I chose to leave the moment I discovered that you were betrothed to another. Has the thought of turning you into a vampire and taking you away from your human life crossed my mind? Yes, on numerous occasions. But I do not regret one minute what we have been through, my sweet. And I would not have chosen anything differently. We cannot regret anything that has happened between us, love, because at one point in time we wanted it to happen."

Caroline nodded. "I agree with you. The truth of the matter is that I loved you. I wanted to be a vampire and be with you forever. At one point in our history, I wanted that more than anything else in this world."

He leaned into the table, eagerly curious. "And what about now? Would you have done anything differently?"

"No, because it is what got us here. We have made it through everything we've thrown at each other and we are still here. Together." She reached across the table and overlapped her hand over his. "All I can say is that you're not the only one who has not given up hope. There's still hope, Niklaus. There always will be."

Klaus smiled at her, turning his hand over so that he could grasp onto her wrist, stroking it with his thumb, as she held onto his wrist. "We can never give up, Caroline. I have always known I would never give up on you. I owed it you because of every bloodshed I have caused over the centuries. After the inferno in your village, I returned when the flames were gone and everyone was dead. You were missing and all the bodies were drained of blood. I made myself suffer for leaving you behind if order to save my own skin. I did not drink from another human for months to the point of mummification until Elijah had to force me in to a cell and everyday he would compel a woman to lock themselves inside there with me until I drained their body. I could never forgive myself for leaving you, Caroline, but at the same time, I cannot help but admit that I am glad I left. If I had stayed and brought you with me, you would have been caught in my darkest days and you would have seen me at my most devious and ruthless times. You would have seen me do whatever it was possible to break my mother's curse and I never wanted you to be the one to leave me because of that. So I am elated that you have been angry with me for nine-hundred-years, if you had left me, I have no doubt in my mind that we would not be here right now. We would have been truly enemies and not even the love that we felt would be able to save us."

"As you know, Niklaus, I was given the option to forget about you and the love I felt for you while I was still human. But yet here I am, frozen and unable to make that choice. Possibly because I was never given the opportunity and I never thought of the option to forget everything that keeps me human to this day." Caroline picked up the vial around her neck. "But now that I have the choice, I don't know what to do about it anymore."

Klaus shrugged, nonchalantly, releasing her arm from across the table. "I could always destroy that vial into smithereens, if you are very torn of what to decide."

"No, you physically cannot do it. The witch who gave it me made it so I can be the one to open it and destroy it if I see fit."

"Would you? Would you really follow through with that plan and forget me forever? Because magic from powerful witches or warlocks are impossible to undo."

"I haven't thought of it yet. But whether I do decide to drink it or destroy it, you will be the first to know."

He nodded. "Fair enough, although I hope you choose to destroy it. I cannot imagine a possible future with you, Caroline. It would unbearable and unchangeably torturous, knowing that I remember everything that I have done wrong and bad in the past while you can never remember anything about me."

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_The afternoon had arrived earlier than Caroline could have ever hoped for. Her eyes were still slightly bloodshot and reddened from silently crying herself to sleep last night after she left Niklaus in the fields. She had not seen him all day, and she thanked the heavens for that because if she saw him now, he would force the tears behind her eyes to resurface. Simply thinking about him made her eyes burn as she took in her all-white appearance through the full-body mirror in her bedroom. Her grandmother had spent the entire month sowing her a white gown with the finest white fabric her family could afford from the trading market. Caroline had never seen her mother so happy and smiling in a very long time. Ever since the day Caroline gave up following her dreams to endlessly train herself to become a Viking, around the same time she met Niklaus, was the day her mother began to accept her as a daughter, which Caroline despised because it should not have taken an arranged marriage to bring parents closer to their daughter. Her father had always accepted Caroline for who she was and stood by her decision, even this decision he could see the regret and hatred and detachment in his daughter's lifeless eyes, constantly encouraging Caroline that she will learn to love her husband in time._

_Caroline had finished her hair, pinning it back into a long braid with another braid across the crown of her head and with beautiful small wildflowers woven into her hair. She wiped away on more fallen tear before pulling over her white linen veil that covered up her face and cascaded over her shoulders. She heard the drums from outside and the sound of marching horses approaching the village, indicating that her betrothed has arrived. She stood behind the curtain doorway of her hut and waited for her father to introduce his daughter to her fiancée._

_Everything fell silent as Caroline's father took her by the arm, guiding her out of the protection of her home to stand in front of her husband to be. She heard small whispers around her, her village people surrounding them and creating a pathway from her hut to her betrothed. After she stood still and in front of him, she heard her father beside her clear his throat._

_"Lord Gunnar of The Southern Lands, may I introduce you to my beloved and talented daughter, Miss Caroline Forbes." He announced, proudly. Caroline felt her father grab the bottom of her veil and slowly pulled it up to reveal her face to Gunnar. She counted to three in her head and opened her eyes to see a dark-haired, chiselled man who appeared five or six years older than her. But he was dangerously handsome, that was for sure. He had brown eyes, high cheekbones, a strong jawbone and sparkling white teeth. His dark hair fell in curls, across his forehead and down to the base of her neck. Caroline bashfully smiled up at him, who towered over her, as he took her hand, kissed it and bowed to her. "Good day, my lady." His deep voice said charmingly._

_Caroline curtsied. "The pleasure is mine, my Lord."_

_His eyes gleamed with appreciation and honesty as he held her hand and everyone around them applauded for their first meeting. Caroline's eyes scanned the crowd, smilingly standing beside her husband-to-be, and her view halted and smile dropped when she found Niklaus, standing beside Elijah, against a tree behind the crowd and he was beyond the point of furious. But she had no reason to feel guilty now. She confessed what she felt for him and he rejected her, turning away. And now, she had more essential things to worry about. She could imagine herself to fall in love with this man standing beside her. But not in the way she fell unrestrictedly and unpredictably in love with Niklaus Mikaelson._

_**Present Day (Jackson, Tennessee)**_

When they had finished their dinner, Klaus had walked Caroline to their hotel room as if he was walking to her door after a date. He even took it far enough to walk her all the way up the stairs, taking the long way up to the sixth floor, but Caroline knew he just wanted to spend these last remaining moments with Caroline, when they weren't enemies and weren't constantly fighting each other. And she had to admit, tonight reminded her of what she loved most of her Niklaus. His rare, unguarded, honest and compassionate side of him that was only for her to see. As they stood in the doorway of their hotel room, he reluctantly released her hand while her other hand held her high-heels in her other hand and walked all the way barefoot to here. "Thank you for dinner, Niklaus." She said, breaking the silence between them.

"It was my pleasure, love. Thank you for accompanying me. I have been waiting years to bring you out to dinner with me."

Caroline smiled. "It was the worth the wait, wasn't it?"

He looked into her eyes. "Of course it was. Good things happen to those who wait."

"Well, I'm going to catch a few winks before we head out to track down those two humans." Caroline stated as an excuse to leave him and fished out her room key, knowing she had enough sleep for one day. "Just wake me up when we're ready to go?"

"Yes. We will probably leave within the next hour. I'll awaken you beforehand."

"Thanks." Caroline turned away from him to swipe her room key in the keypad on the door. Just as it opened, Klaus had his hand on her arm. She looked at him, confused.

"Caroline?" He whispered, his voice resisting.

"Yes, Niklaus?"

His eyes fell to the floor, realizing it was his turn to speak and explain himself why he had stopped her from entering their hotel room. "As we both are aware, I am not the most confident individual in the world and I do not trust others immediately and effortlessly. It is not my intention to ever be selfish with you, but would it be too much to ask for you to prove to me that you meant you said before? That you haven't given up hope."

Caroline smiled at his rare apprehension, and even more so, vulnerability. "I thought you would never ask." She murmured, truthfully, low enough for only her to hear, and knowing the perfect way to convince him she truly meant what she said. Klaus met with her eyes, catching her murmur with his vampire hearing and looked at her confusedly. Caroline smiled, cupping his face and slowly leaning in towards him until her lips touched his. His eyes remained open for a moment or two before he began to respond, wrapping his arms around her narrow waist, picking her off the ground and walking into their hotel room with Caroline in his arms, letting the door close behind them as he continued to walk them to their bed. After they landed together on top of the white bed, he unlatched his lips from hers, tracing his blonde locks off of her face and tucking them behind her ear while Caroline's fingertips touched his short stubble around his chin. She recognized and studied with her fingers and eyes, feeling him and seeing him. Caroline traced her fingers over his jawbone, his cheekbones, his temples, his eyebrows, his forehead until she ran both of her hands through his slightly jelled short curly locks. He was busy wrapping his finger around her fallen waves of blonde hair, until his cell phone's vibrations ruined their heated and escalating moment.

He growled in displeasure, rolling his eyes as he reached a back and pulling out his phone from his trousers pocket and answering the phone. "What?" He snapped instantly.

Caroline giggled childishly at his reaction, causing Klaus to look at her disapprovingly as he talked on the phone to who sounded like Stefan on the other line and remained where he stayed on top of her. But then the playful goddess within her, the same hidden goddess that tempted Klaus to her bed this morning by rising the hem of her shirt up her thigh, decided to come out at this exact moment. She leaned up, leaving traces of light kisses up his throat, feeling the rumble beneath his skin in approval. To up the stakes, she trailed her tongue over his Adam's apple and up to his bristly chin. He shivered, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as they closed shut. Caroline fell back onto the bed, looking up with mischief into Klaus's hooded eyes as she winked at him and he abruptly ending the call and tossing his phone behind him. "You _are_ a little vixen, aren't you?" He thickly whispered in her ear as he frantically kissed her neck.

She whimpered, indifferently shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not."

Klaus looked into her eyes with excitement and burning hunger. "I let it go your little display of seduction this morning, but I will not make the same mistake again, Caroline."

Caroline boldly reached in the narrow space between them and seized his belt buckle. "How much time do we have?" She asked, seductively. What in the world was in that coffee this morning that made her say and do all of these things?

Klaus was unmistakably surprised by her words just as she secretly was. "Stefan will be here in thirty minutes. Are you sure you want to do this, Caroline?" He asked, despite the need and desire and lust to continue in his eyes.

"I do believe I have to put you out of your misery, Niklaus. So, yes. I am certain about this." She confirmed, confidently.

"Good," He abruptly stood up at the edge of the bed, looking down at her. He reached for the bottom of her dress and tearing it up in half before ripping it off of her. "What a shame. I spent a lot of money on that dress."

Caroline bravely sat up as he began to crawl on top of her. She tore his shirt off, buttons flying in every direction and yanked it off his shoulders. "I'm sure I can make it worth it." She whispered, going for his belt buckle again as Klaus clapped his hands together twice to turn off the lights so that they were in complete the darkness.

**live2write123: *peaks from behind my hands over my face*... well uh, i have never ever written something like that EVER, let alone posted it for the world to see o.O but i hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter, especially after THAT explicit, 'in your face' scene -_-. if you haven't noticed, i don't write full on sex scenes because of three reasons: one, i'm not comfortable writing them. two, i'm paranoid i'll get into crap for posting it. and three, i just don't want my story to have full blown sex scenes in it. i don't mind reading other stories where there are a few but for this story or any of my stories, i can't and won't write them. i extremely hope that the last scene doesn't offend anyone! i was really honestly debating on whether to write that last scene. i was going to end it off where Klaus pushes Caroline into their hotel room, but i've decided to up the stakes from the previous steamy make out scene from chapter twenty-two and write it until it is cut off where they, uh, do it for the first time in five hundred years :|. anyway, goodbye for now! :D**


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

**live2write123: hey everyone! well i'm proud to say that i'm finally on track and this chapter is officially the start of season three! it's just over twelve pages on microsoft and i'm not gonna lie, compared to the last chapter, this one is pretty neutral. Caroline sees Stefan for the first time in his ripper stage since he left Mystic Falls with Klaus. And Caroline is very 'Team-Klaus' in this chapter too, so there is barely any arguing between them :D and that's a rare good thing.**

**ps. thank you everyone for the reviews! i'm just putting it out there, but if you have a Klaroline story that you would like me to read, then let me know and write a PM and i'll check it out eventually :). i'm loving the reviews everyone writes for me and i love the favourites and followers i get too! thanks again! please, review, alert, favourite, comment, and most importantly enjoy! :D**

**pss. *IMPORTANT* i don't know if i've mentioned this in previous chapters but if i have, i'll repeat it because i find it's important. when Klaus first met Caroline while she was still human, he had only been a vampire for only thirty-eight years, so there isn't much of an vampire-age difference between them. Klaus, Mikael and his siblings were turned into vampires, according to The Vampire Diaries wikia, in 1020. so other than the Originals, it makes Caroline the oldest vampire to ever exist which i thought was pretty cool and pretty bad-ass :). anyway, onto the chapter :D.**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: In My Veins**

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_Somewhere after the long awaited wedding was over, Caroline managed to make her escape from her new husband and the crowded villagers that were celebrating outside. She made the excuse to leave to pack her belongings so that she would be prepared to leave with her husband by tomorrow morning. But now that she was alone, in the hut of her home for the last time since she got dressed in her wedding gown and was presented to her husband, she could finally let the tears fall from her eyes as she silently wept on the floor of her room. Niklaus and Elijah were no where to be found during her wedding, not that she ever expected them to be there. But it still disappointed her because now more than ever, she needed Niklaus's approval and consent. She had not seen him all day since her husband arrived. After ten minutes of sobbing on the floor, she felt the presence of someone else in her room. She stood up, wiping away any evidence of unhappiness and spun around to see Niklaus standing with his head tilted towards the floor and his posture rigid and frozen. _

_"Niklaus?" She whispered, slowly taking a step towards him. "What do you want from me now? We cannot be alone anymore, especially here and now."_

_"I know that, but I need to say goodbye before I leave."_

_This declaration broke her heart. "Y-You are leaving? When?"_

_"Tonight. Elijah told me to say my final farewells before we depart from this village."_

_"You should have just left me without a goodbye. It would save my already broken heart from breaking again after your refusal to my request. Leave my sight, Niklaus. I am in the middle of a plan to poison my food tonight before I go to bed so that I do not have to live the rest of my life."_

_"Caroline, you should not kill yourself over a marriage."_

_"Unless you are not accepting my proposal, then leave. I cannot bear the sight of you."_

_Suddenly, there was another presence in the room and Caroline looked over to Niklaus to see Elijah standing beside his brother. "Brother, you must tell her the truth." Elijah said._

_"Tell me, what?"_

_"Hold your tongue, Elijah. I have nothing left to confess to her."_

_"Niklaus, you and both are aware that you would never truly leave this girl."_

_"I would have never stayed here this long if I knew she was to be married in the beginning of this summer. And this is the truth."_

_"You lie. I have stayed because we promised to stay together, always and forever, and endured all of this suffering because I could not leave you. You do not need to feel obliged to lie to me or to her."_

_"Fine, you wish to hear the truth?" He looks at Caroline. "The truth is that__ I care too much for you and I need to leave before it cripples me from the inside out." _

_Elijah nodded. "Which is the reason why you heeded my words and declared your ultimate farewell. Correct?"_

_"No, I knew if I left without her knowing, it will that much easier to separate myself from her. But I could not bring myself to do that."_

_"Then, I believe our decision has ended." Elijah walked ahead of his brother and stood beside Caroline. "Niklaus, dear brother, if you do not turn the girl, I will do it myself."_

_"What? Why on earth would you go against my wishes?" _

_Elijah looked at Caroline, kindly smiling at her while pinning her hair back behind her ear. "Because this human is the first to make you feel, Niklaus. All you have ever wanted from someone was to be loved, beyond your vampire life and within your human life. And she loves you. I can see it in her sympathetic eyes. How could you dare let go the one and only human that makes you care about someone else other than yourself?" He turned to Caroline, handing her three things. "My dear, to become one of us, you must wear this ring." He slid a white gold ring with blue gem inside of it onto her left index finger. "It has been spelled by a witch to make you walk in the sunlight. Without it, you will burn. Next, will have to drink this." He showed her a vial of Niklaus's blood. "It is Niklaus's blood to turn you into a vampire. Then, you must take this," he showed her a small dagger, only within the length of her hand._

_"And stab myself in my heart, thus killing me."_

_Elijah nodded, sadly. "But we will wait for you outside of your village in the morning when have awakened into your new life as a vampire."_

_"Thank you, Elijah. At least someone wants me to escape this already planned life I have in store for me in this human body."_

_"Do not be mistaken, Caroline. Niklaus wants this for you more than I ever do. He just will not be selfish enough to take your life." Elijah said and made his leave, leaving Caroline alone with Niklaus again, who was still sulking in the corner of the room._

_"Niklaus, before I become what you are, may I ask you to do one last thing of me?"_

_"What is it now, Caroline? You have gotten what you wanted and now I cannot take that option from you. What else could you possibly want from me?"_

_"I do not want to commit suicide to become a vampire, Niklaus. I want you to drink from my body until I die. I know you want this for me, no matter how many times you tell me otherwise. I love you, Niklaus. How many times must I say it to make you believe me?"_

_"I cannot be selfish with you, Caroline. It is not fair for you to have met me. The loved ones that care so much for you will not be able to accept you have were killed."_

_"Just say the words, Niklaus. Do you are do you not want me forever?"_

_"Of course I do, Caroline!"_

_"I know you feel the same way about me, no matter how many times you try to ignore it or suppress it, you care for me as much as I care for you, and it scares you as much as it scares me. Nobody can predict what the years to come have in store for us, but let now be the start for us, okay? Please. I cannot think of another life without you in it."_

_Niklaus slowly walked towards her, leaning in towards her and pressed his lips to hers. "Yes. I will be selfish with you, Caroline."_

_"Then take me away from this place and let me be what you are. I want to walk to the ends of the earth with you."_

_Niklaus scooped Caroline into his arms, using his vampire speed to run them both out of her hut and out of the village, leaving everyone and everything behind her._

_**Present Day (Jackson, Tennessee) **_

"Caroline, love?" A familiar voice cooed into Caroline's ear, out of her deep sleep. "It's time to wake up, darling. We have some road to cover before it's too late."

She rolled over, contently nuzzling her face further into her pillow. "Five more minutes, Niklaus."

He chuckled, his body leaning over hers as he pushed the blankets off of her bare shoulders and left trails of light pecks across her back, shoulder blades and the back of her neck. "Wakey wakey, my sleeping beauty." He whispered.

Caroline groaned, irritably. "I have not sleep this well in months, Niklaus. Can I not enjoy it longer?"

"I'm afraid not, love. You have already slept thoroughly during the night."

This made her head leave the pillow, turn her head in the direction Klaus was laying on. "But what about the two werewolves?"

"You were still asleep after I snuck out of bed and by the time I returned to bed at midnight, you had clasped onto my body throughout the entire night."

"That's funny. I had a bad dream for a few hours but then it magically went away."

"What was the dream about, love?"

"My human life. The wedding and the life I would have had if you had not turned me."

He shook his head. "That would have never happened, Caroline, not if I could help it."

"I know. It still frightens me from time to time."

"It's okay now. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled. "Me either." She sighed. "Well, I don't know about you but I feel chipper this morning."

"I wonder why."

Caroline giggled. "It's strange. I feel... positively regenerated."

"What a coincidence, so have I. But I, for one, have never seen this vixen side of you before. I like it when she comes out to play." He winked captivatingly at her.

She shrugged, casually. "What can I say? I have always tried to keep her on a tight leash. But she tends to seize the opportunities to seduce others into what she wants when given to her."

"Believe me when I proudly admit that I was seduced by you twice yesterday. And I enjoyed every moment of it. But as much as I truly would love to spend this entire day in bed with you, today is an important and anticipated day for me."

"I know. And I'll be there to support you, Niklaus. But first I am in need of a shower. Maybe we can make a quick stop by a clothing store? I did not pack anything with me and I would love to wear something other than the same clothes two days in a row."

He sighed, dramatically. "I suppose. If you hurry that bottom of yours out of bed already."

Caroline sat up, swinging her legs to hang over the edge of the mattress and slid her arms into the white, cotton hotel bathrobe. "Have you had a shower, by any chance, Niklaus?" She asked over her shoulder to see him laying on his back with his hands tucked behind his head.

"No. I will jump in after you have finished. When the amount of unnecessary time women take to bathe themselves, men have the ability to be quick and thorough simultaneously." He looked up at her curiously. "What are you suggesting here, Caroline?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. If you haven't already, maybe you should join me."

Caroline had never seen anyone sit up and jump up out of bed faster than Klaus. "You are absolutely correct, love. We would never want to waste water when we can save half the amount." He disappeared behind the bathroom door and started the shower.

She laughed to herself, standing up and slowly walking into the bathroom. She untied the belt and it dropped to the floor before stepping into the glass shower stall in front of Klaus.

After Caroline and Klaus finished their shower together, he got changed into a black, tight, long-sleeve, v-neck shirt and dark blue denims. Caroline reluctantly changed into the same clothes she wore for the past two days. Her red dress that Klaus bought her last night for their dinner was torn to shreds, but her red stilettos he purchased with the dress were still undamaged. The two of them checked out of the hotel room, meeting Stefan in front of the hotel in Klaus's black Ford Expedition. Taking in Stefan's Ripper side was the complete opposite sight of the Stefan Salvatore, the super glue that kept everything under the most control in Mystic Falls and everyone sane, the Salvatore that she grew to love as a brother. Now... now it was just simply awkward looking at or even trying to talk to him now. She merely greeted him, responding to an embrace when he reached out to hug her before sliding into the backseat of Klaus's car and they drove to the closest clothing store.

Caroline barely spent ten minutes, fearing to test Klaus's unpredictable patience today more than ever. purchasing two outfits, new undergarments, and a pair of comfortable combat boots. She changed out of her old clothes and into one of her purchased outfits: her new boots, a blue, white and black plaid shirt and light-washed, ripped, flared jeans. But after she was done, on the way to the Southern Comfort bar, she unusually and unexpectedly fell asleep in the backseat of the car.

_**Present Day (Tulley, Tennessee)**_

When Klaus parked outside the bar, Caroline woke up to see Stefan gone somewhere and Klaus was outside, leaning against the hood of his car. She opened her door and joined him, taking in the sight of the middle-of-nowhere and desertedness of the establishment. "So, what's your plan, Big Bad Wolf?" Caroline asked him.

He chuckled. "Well, he better be here or I am going to paint this town red."

"I have doubt in my mind that you will."

Klaus looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And you do not object?"

"Niklaus, I'm simply a companion for you during your travels. I have no right to object or try to convince you to do something otherwise. I knew when I was signing up for when I agreed to stay with you. As you said, you are no saint. But neither am I. I try to choose a more humane, less bloodier way of doing things, but I would never push my beliefs and my lifestyle on you."

"I was hoping you would say that, love. I cannot be who I truly am, an intimidating and murderous hybrid, and be the good guy at the same time. It's impossible to live and endure that double standard of living."

"I know, which why I only ask for you to be the gentle and protective and loving version of you around me and out of sight from everyone else. Deal?"

He smiled, leaning in towards her to kiss her. "Deal."

"So, how can I be of service for you on this mission?"

"You will be what you said you are: a companion. You have to wait in the car until Stefan and I have finished here. Right now, I do not need your companionship, Caroline. You are not one of my loyal soldiers to do my dirty work."

"I'm aware I'm not, but the real reason you didn't wake me up last night because you didn't want me to get involved or see you kill two innocent woman. Right now, if I was still sleeping in back of your car, you would have left me to sleep again, wouldn't you?"

"I cannot tolerate or risk anything to involve you, my personal business, with this, my work business. It's not an option, Caroline."

"Well, lucky for me, I have back up plan. I called the bar manager while I was in the clothing store. I told him I was passing by Tulley and that I saw his advertisement for a gig at his bar. I offered him my passion for singing country music and he gladly accepted."

"You did, _what_? Have I forgotten to mention that this is a human and a werewolf bar?"

"No, I overheard you talking to Stefan while I was 'sleeping' in the backseat. And I can handle myself. Katerina and I waltzed into werewolf bars in Florida numerous times during Spring Break last year and we survived."

"Caroline, a werewolf bite can kill you, regardless of if it's a full moon or not."

"I know, but that won't stop me from helping you. Look, I doubt a lot of people will be in there anyway. Stefan can compel everyone in that bar to keep their eyes on me during my performance while you negotiate whatever you need from this werewolf. I have my knife in my boot and the wolfsbane you gave me this morning. I'll be fine. How much time do you think you'll need?"

"It all depends on how willing Ray is able to give up the location to his pack. But for your health and with Stefan's compulsion, I will not take a long time."

She playfully rolled her eyes. "You can stop worrying about me, Niklaus. I'm big girl and I can take care of myself."

Caroline stood up straight to start walking towards the bar before he could respond. But she froze in her spot when Klaus seized her hand, twirling her towards him again and kissed her knuckles. "What if I told you that I always to worry about your safety, Caroline, despite your attempts to convince me otherwise?"

She took a moment to regain her stable breathing again as goosebumps crawled up her arms from his slightest touch and gesture. But after a minute, she slowly retrieve her arm from his gentle hold. "I'll meet you inside." Caroline whispered, pulling her hand out of his grasp and making her way to the bar.

Caroline stopped at the doorway once she was inside the bar. She put on her most flirtatious smile, unbuttoned the first two buttons of her plaid shirt, rolled the sleeves to her elbows and swayed her hips from side to side as she slowly walked to the bar, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at her while she did. Caroline ordered two beers, one for herself and the other for Ray, as she sat in the empty stool beside him.

"Hello sweetheart." Caroline flirted sweetly.

He looked over his shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Straight to the point. I like that. It's Caroline. And yours?"

"Ray."

"So Ray, what does a girl have to do to have a drink with you?"

He slowly examined her before returning to the beer he already paid for in his hand. "Sorry, but your not exactly my type."

"Darling, I'm everyone's type. Let me show you and everyone else in this bar what I can do. I'm confident enough to prove to you that I can change your mind."

She turned to the bartender after he had placed down the two beers she ordered. She told him that she was the one who called him the other day. The burly man smiled at her, reaching for the microphone underneath the bar. "Hey ya'll, hope everyone's having a mighty fine day, but I have a girl here who's from out of town and she's stopped by to show off her moves. Give her a hand and welcome Caroline to Southern Comfort!"

Everyone applauded, the already-darkened bar seemed to dim even more due to the spotlights shining down on her as she stood on top of the narrow bar counter with the microphone in her hand and the music to _"Casanova Cowboy" _by: _Carrie Underwood_ played off of the old jukebox in the corner of the bar.

During her performance, as everyone's eyes were on Caroline, hers were seductively on Klaus's alluring ones. He stood beside the door as Stefan made his way through the crowd, compelling one person at a time while everyone kept their eyes distractedly and drooling over Caroline. Klaus was watching her every move, sipping from his short glass of scotch. The lyrics within the song terribly reminded Caroline of him and as she paced the bar counter back and forth, she did anything and everything to impress him with her flexibility and gymnastics from doing the side splits and vertical splits to ending her performance with five frontal handsprings in a row on the counter down into a frontal splits.

Everyone roared their appreciation for her while applauding, some were showing their appreciation by standing up and applauded. Klaus had a playfully approving smirk on his lips as Caroline hopped off the counter, landing on her feet and stood beside Ray. "Well? Did you enjoy the show?" She asked, with her hands on her hips.

"You've got moves, girl. So how about that beer?"

"First, I'd like introduce you to a friend of mine." Caroline looked at Klaus, who stood on the other side of Ray. "Ray Sutton, I have the honour of introducing you to Klaus."

Klaus courteously offered him his hand, which Ray eyes and ignores.

"Klaus, honey, how was I as a distraction?"

"No words can depict how flawless you were up there, love."

Caroline bowed her head in appreciation. "Thank you."

He turns to Ray. "Now, Ray I've been looking everywhere for you. We started in Florida, Pensacola. I met a man there who you used to work with before you moved to Memphis, now a young chap directed me to two lovely young women. And they conveniently led me here, to you."

Ray put down his empty bear on the counter. "I think I'll be going."

He tried to leave, but Klaus stopped him. "Not so fast, mate. We only just got here. Now, your type are very hard to come by nowadays. Nearly extinct."

The werewolf tries to walk around them again, but Stefan stands in front of him, boxing him against Caroline, Klaus and the bar counter behind him. "I wouldn't do that." Stefan warned.

Ray looked at the three of them. "Vampires."

Klaus took one of the beers that Caroline ordered from before after the bartender placed them down on the counter behind Ray. "Swiftly swift Ray. Yes, my friends here are vampires. Stefan has compelled everybody in the bar so don't look to them for help. I, however I'm something else, a different kind of monster. I've got some vampire, I'm got some wolf."

"You're what?"

"A hybrid, right? I'm both. You see, I want to create more of me, now you being the first werewolf I've come across in months, I need you to direct me to your pack so I can make more of me. So, where can I find them, Ray?"

"Ray, may I remind you that if you don't follow to his basic and straightforward demand, he will take more extreme measures to get what he wants." Caroline warned him.

"None of you can compel me." Ray defied. "It won't work."

Stefan scratched the back of his head, looking at Klaus for approval before he pulls a pouch out of his back pocket and turned to the bartender. "Can I get a scotch on the rocks, please?" He looks at Ray. "Tell you what, Ray, we're gonna play a little drinking game I like to call truth or wolfsbane." He pours the wolfsbane out of the pouch, into his hands and crushes it into smaller pieces.

Klaus took a seat in the bar stool and finished his beer. "Oh, this is going to be fun, Ray."

Caroline cringed at the sound of Ray's cries in pain every time Stefan threw a dart that was dipped in liquefied wolfsbane mixed with the glass of scotch and thrown at the werewolf, who was chained to the wall in front of the dartboard. She knew how it felt to be tortured with a herb that caused undeniable and unbearable pain. She looked at Klaus, who was still sitting at the bar and enjoying the show with his feet kicked up on the empty stool next to him. Every time Stefan would run out of darts to throw, he would walk up to Ray, remove them from his body and return to his stance.

"You see, he's not gonna let me stop until you tell me where your pack gathers on a full moon. And I do whatever he tells me to do, so that the way it goes around here." Stefan threatened.

One more dart and a cry, Caroline had enough and abruptly hopped off from sitting on the bar counter, making her way towards the door but didn't make it out because Klaus stopped her halfway. "What's wrong, love?"

"I haven't eaten in days. My hunger is starting to take a toll on me."

"If it is human food that you crave, Caroline, you can order whatever you want from the bar."

"No, not only that. I also want human blood, and I am not going to drink from someone here. I'm sure I can find a hospital here."

"I do not understand you every now and then. You digest human blood on a daily basis, but you won't drink directly from a human?"

"They are innocent. Without human, vampires would never exist in this world and we repay them by drinking their blood, most likely killing them in end? It's wrong and I don't agree with it."

"Are you not having the least bit of fun enjoying the show?" He turns to Ray with a big smile on his face.

She shakes her head. "No, actually I'm not. I don't try to change you and you can't expect me to change for you. I'm not an intimidating and murderous hybrid, nor am I an emotionless and bloodthirsty ripper. I'm just Caroline. I meant what I said when I prefer to resolve my disagreements in less bloodier ways to get what I want, unless there are no options left to take. But the moment someone defies you, like Ray here who is just following a code given to him, you instantly resolve in torturing him to the brink of his death until he eventually surrenders to you. That's not how I do things, but that is how you handle your business. And who am I to change that? But for now, I won't stand and watch. I'll be back when your 'show' is over."

An hour later, Caroline returned to the bar, finishing off her third blood bag. She stood in the doorway, her eyes quickly scanning the crowd until she only found Klaus, standing next to a bloodied Ray chained to a billiard table, but Stefan was nowhere in sight. "Where's Stefan?" She asked.

"His brother has been trying to find us this entire summer, love, and he's getting closer. I left Stefan to deal with it since he continues to refuse to let his brother suffer or die and I have kept my word patiently throughout the summer to not kill Damon Salvatore, but my patience is wearing thin if he continues to cover up our tracks." Klaus turned to Caroline with softer eyes. "Am I forgiven or are you still mad at me?" He pouted.

She shrugged, unaffected by his doe-eyed look. "I don't know. You tell me. Has Ray given up yet?"

Klaus looked down at Ray, who's breathing was irregular and harsh and his wounds were not healing. "No. I may have to resort to more drastic measures."

"You and Stefan already have, let me try." She offered. "And I won't need darts or your wolfsbane to do it."

He looked at her again, this time baffled and worried. "Caroline..."

But she ignored him, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. Eventually, after he gave up on their intense staring contest, Klaus rolled his eyes and gave her space. Caroline walked to the table, bending over to Ray's eye level to talk to him. "Ray, you might as well give it up. They won't stop until you do. I am very sorry for tricking you into this, but my advice is to surrender before you end up dead for it. No one, not even you, has to get hurt even more here."

Ray hissed through his gritted teeth. "My werewolf pack? They all go camping for a week before the full moon in the Smoky Mountains. You'll find them there."

Caroline smiled, sweetly at him, gently brushing the hair out of his eyes. "Thank you, sweetie." She stood up straight, spun around to face Klaus and walked towards him. "You see, Niklaus? You don't always have to bully or torture someone to get information out of them."

"Noted." He grumbled, unwilling to accept Caroline's humane tactics before walking around her and rejoining Ray. "Thank you, Ray. I have great plans for you."

"Drink from my wrist." Klaus said, pulling out a pocket knife from his black denim pants and cutting into his wrist. Klaus didn't give Ray time to respond or think what else he had up his sleeve as he shoved his bleeding lips onto Ray's mouth. After about twenty seconds of drinking his blood, Stefan re-entered the bar just as Klaus snapped Ray's neck, killing him instantly. Caroline gasped while Klaus looked up at Stefan. "You're back." He said to Stefan.

"Did you doubt me?" Stefan asked.

"Not for a second. I knew you'd pass the test. You still care for your brother, for your old life." Klaus noted.

Stefan smiled while he walked away, shaking his head. "I don't care about anything anymore. You made sure of that after you fed me blood bag after another until I couldn't control the beast within me any longer."

Klaus followed him to the bar and leaned against the side of it beside Stefan. "You put on a good show, Stefan. I almost believe you. Let's hope, for your brother's sake, he does stop trying to find us. You never stop caring about family, do you? But admit it, every time you feed, the blood makes it easier to let go."

Stefan looked at him, but didn't agree or try to disagree with his words because from Caroline's eyes, they were absolutely true.

"Given that we are on a tight schedule," Klaus said as the trio walked out of the closing Southern Comfort bar and Stefan was busy dumping Ray's 'not-so-dead' dead body into the trunk of Klaus's car. "I'll drive us throughout the night so that we are in the Smoky Mountains by tomorrow morning and long before good ol' submissive Ray here is awake." He tapped his hand on the trunk of his car.

"Niklaus, that's a good six hour drive from here. Are you sure we shouldn't stop by a motel or something? You and Stefan are both really tired and we all need to be very awake tomorrow." Caroline urged.

"Love, I've been waiting for this day for a thousand years. I can't even think of sleep right now."

"Then, let me drive. I slept in this morning-"

"I wonder why." Stefan interjected, sliding into the backseat and closing the door behind him.

Caroline rolled her eyes and turned to Klaus again. "And I'm begging you to get some sleep, okay?"

Klaus shook his head, opening the passenger door for her. "No deal, .

"Wait." Caroline closed the door with a loud slam, her eyes narrowing, suspiciously. "Do you not trust me, Niklaus?"

He sighed, sharply, annoyed and impatient. "It's not that, Caroline."

"I think it is, but fine, Casanova Cowboy. I'm going to wake up in the best of mood tomorrow, despite walking into a certain death." She opened the door angrily on her own and slipped inside before Klaus could say anything else.

For the first two hours of darkness, silence, and Stefan's gentle snoring, Caroline couldn't fall asleep even if her life depended on it. But she kept her eyes hooded halfway, closed enough to look as though she was fast asleep but open enough to keep sight at Klaus from the corner of her eye. Caroline sighed, exasperated before she straightened out her reclined seat.

"Can't sleep, love?" He asked in a hushed tone.

She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I've never been one to sleep well or thoroughly while in moving transportation. Planes, trains, cars, nothing."

"Is that why you offered to drive?"

"That and I wanted you to be your at best tomorrow. Like you've said, you've been waiting for this long before me. But I know how much this day means to you. I wanted to make sure it was the best day ever and worth all of this anticipation. So forgive me for actually giving a damn about you." This silenced Klaus, the same silence that settled for the past two hours. She groaned. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?" She demanded, impatiently.

"It's one of those unusual moments where I'm rendered speechless, literally. I never knew that you 'actually gave a damn about me' nor how significant this day is for me."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, of course I do. I thought the reunion sex we had last night made myself perfectly clear."

"Personally, I thought it was a one-night-stand that will never happen again."

"If I wanted last night to be a one-night-stand, I would have left before morning."

"Good point there, love. But still, I never thought you would ever mention last night into a casual conversation."

"And why wouldn't I?"

"Caroline, let's face it. It's normally my responsibility to bring up personal moments that happened between us so that your face reddens and I get to see embarrassed reactions of it. This is entirely not like you."

"Well, I'm mature now and I've grown up, Niklaus. There is a lot you don't know about me. I might have known you for nine-hundred-years, but you know nothing about me."

"Is that so?" He looked at her with a cocked eyebrow before looking forward to the dark, vacant and endless side road ahead of them. "I'm confident enough to know enough about you."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Really? Like what?"

"I know that you bite your lip when your nervous. You procrastinate questions and you look elsewhere when you know I'm right, but you won't admit it. I know you stare at the ground whenever you're not being honest. You preferably become clinging directly after we have sex. I know you've always had a passion for musicals because you've always had a passion for theatre and opera and Broadway. When I kiss your neck, it is truly your only Achilles' heel. I know you feel safest when you are in the arms of someone you truly and rarely trust. If you could, you would eat Caesar salad and pasta everyday for the rest of your existence. Your favourite blood type is B positive and I also know why you prefer to drink out of hospital blood bags rather than directly from a human."

"Yeah, because humans are not meant to be our prey. Their lives do not exist for us to drain them for our own gain."

"That's the excuse you hide behind, Caroline. All vampires who still feel tediously concerned or compassionate towards the human race hide behind the same excuse because they cannot accept reality."

"And what is this 'reality' you speak of?"

"Vampires that feel and hold onto their humanity fail to accept the fact that we were created to destroy and survive. It is no different from a predatory animal in Africa hunting down its helpless prey in the savannah. We are the predators and humans are the prey. It's as simple as that. And I know that not only do you care and worry for these humans," he looked at her with a knowing look in his eyes, "but you fear that you will, in fact, relish and love the hunt and the game of feeding directly off of a human."

It was Caroline's turn to be silent and rendered speechless. She shrunk in her seat and darted her eyes elsewhere because maybe he was right. She hadn't fed from a human for centuries. Sure, she'd treat herself every once in a while but she didn't make it a habit to walk into a bar, pick out her next meal and then take him to the nearest bathroom stall to drain. The idea was never acceptable.

"Your silent oppose is deafening, love." Klaus declared, amusingly.

"I will never feed off of a human again, Niklaus. Not only will I never, I cannot bring myself to do it."

"Sure you can. It's as easy as a human breathing the air to live." He urged, wittily.

She snorted. "Says the monster who has never given a damn about anything else but himself." Caroline snapped, unintentionally.

Another awkward silence settled in between them as Klaus silently continued to drive, biting his tongue to prevent himself from snapping at her and waking up Stefan behind them. Caroline nervously bit her lip, looking out the window beside her and thinking of something, anything, to change this arguable and endless topic. She cleared her throat, deciding to talk about the weather, because that's all that was left. "I-I hope the weather is going to be clear tomorrow." She blurted.

"Caroline..." Klaus's strained voice hissed.

"I-I mean, wouldn't it just be terrible if there was a thunderstorm or something? I'm glad I bought a pair of boots today. It'd be impossible to hike up mountains in high-heels, even for a vampire. By the way, I'll pay you back for the clothes I bought today. Whenever and if I ever get my stuff back from Felix's. But I will pay you back someday. I promise. I should really consider living in a permanent home so I'm not moving around so much and I don't have to leave all of my stuff at somebody else's home. How inconvenient and rude of me. Anyway, I don't know what to expect to tomorrow. But I hope that it's everything you've been waiting for, Niklaus."

Suddenly, Klaus yanked the steering wheel to the side to pull the car over to the side of the road, silencing Caroline's frantic rambling. He turned off the high-beams of the car's headlights so that they sat in complete darkness and the moonless sky didn't help her cause. All she could see of Klaus was faint expression changes and the silhouette of his body. "N-Niklaus?" She stuttered.

"I know I'm a monster, Caroline." He whispered.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that. I just yelled that out of spite."

Klaus looked at her with a sad smile on his lips. "Yes you did, and it's okay because it's true. I don't give a damn about anything else apart from myself. But for as long as I can remember, even before you ever walked into my life, I could only care about myself because that's all I had. I did not have my parents. I rarely had my siblings. There was only me and as a vampire, for a thousand years, that's all I knew. My world and my health and my safety was centred around me and no one else mattered. But then I met you and you mattered. You matter more to me, Caroline, than I ever expected. These past two days, I've shown an exposed vulnerable side of me that I have never shown anyone else, nor did I ever think it still existed inside me. But it does. It always has."

"I'm sorry, Niklaus, but I didn't mean what I said. You're not a monster."

"Of course I am. Even more so now that I am the only hybrid to exist in this world."

Caroline reached out and held his hand. "You will not be the only hybrid anymore. Not for long. Today will change that, right? And I'll be there to help you achieve your dream. I promise. Now, let's get a move on. We have a werewolf pack to see."

Klaus smiled, nodded wordlessly before turning on the car again and began driving down the road again. She liked this comfortable silence as she reclined her seat and tried to get some sort of sleep before dawn. Every now and then, she would look over at the concentrated and silent Klaus next to her. For as long as she could remember, she's always wanted to ask him how he felt during the last moments while she's still human. Did he ever regret turning her? Would he preferred if she died a natural, human death? Did he ever consider killing her to put him out of his misery? These questions buzzed around her head as she managed fall asleep while in a moving vehicle for the first time. Maybe it was Klaus's presence that reassured her that what ever came their way, he would be there to protect her.

**live2write123: i hope you all enjoyed the sweetness in this chapter because i must warn you that it might end sooner rather than later. i don't know, just personally Klaus is getting to sound way too lovey-dovey and too sweet to be the unpredictable Klaus in the TV series. so beware! he might just do something spontaneously cruel and vicious like the real Klaus we all fell in love with :). until next time, goodbye for now! :D**


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

**live2write123: hey everyone! i'm so sorry for the late update :(. i've promised two people i'd update on friday last week, and it looks like i can't make promises at all. i can't control inspiration and lately, i've been procrastinating writing this chapter. i went to my friend's house on saturday because she's leaving tomorrow for university and i spent most of sunday at her house as well. monday i was just emotionally exhausted from the unexpectedly eventful weekend and yesterday i had a barbeque with my mom and the neighbours next door. i've also nitpicked at this chapter, deleting more than writing because i struggled to write it the way i wanted it to turn out, so i hope this works out for everyone because i sure am happy with it!**

**ps. this chapter covers the episode 'The Hybrid' with a twisting, turn-of-events occurrence :). i really hope you all enjoy this chapter. it took me a while to get it all down and it was one of those times where you write a lot, but in the end you have to write as much as you can and deal with it so here it is! i don't think i can change this anymore than it has to.**

**pss. thanks everyone for the reviews and favourites and follows i've been getting. but right now, i really need your support and tell me what you think of this chapter. tell me i'm doing a decent job or not. thanks again! :D please, review, alert, favourite, comment, and most importantly enjoy reading this new chapter! :D**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Reason Why**

_**Present Day (Smoky Mountains - Tennessee)**_

"You okay there, mate?" Klaus asked Stefan as the three of them walked further up the steep Smoky Mountains. It was almost noon now and Caroline was gladly clinging onto Klaus's back like a spider monkey for hours now while Stefan carried an unconscious and dead Ray Sutton on his shoulders. "Is Ray getting heavy?"

"I'm fine." Stefan muttered, sharply.

She stopped compressing her head against in between his shoulder blades and glared at the back of his head. "Niklaus, don't tease him. It's rude." Caroline scolded, earnestly.

He looked over his shoulder at Caroline. "Relax, love. I'm simply asking him a question." Klaus returned looking at Stefan. "We've been walking for quite some time now. If need some water or a little sit-down. Or maybe we could switch. I'll take Ray and you can take Caroline. I'm sure she can't be as heavy as he is."

Caroline scoffed, slapping his shoulder. "I'm right here, Niklaus."

"You know, I get that you and I are stuck together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, that'd be great." Stefan grumbled at Klaus, nastily.

Klaus clicked his tongue in disapproval. "So much brooding. Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend."

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting down werewolves. We've been at it all summer."

"Thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack." Klaus said just as the trio coincidentally stepped foot into a campsite where there were at least ten or more werewolves and humans setting up camp for the full moon tonight. They were busily and distractedly unpacking everything until they sensed two vampires approach them. Klaus, who stood further back, softly lowered Caroline off of his back and to her feet. Stefan dropped Ray off of his shoulders and dumped him on to the ground. A woman with shoulder-length dark hair fell to her knees and crawled to him, calling out his name as her blonde-haired boyfriend stood above her and eyed Stefan.

"Ray? The woman called out again. "What's happening?"

"Please forgive the intrusion." Caroline said, politely. "We truly mean you no harm."

"Who are you?" The woman seethed, her eyes darting from Caroline to Stefan.

Stefan crossed his arms over his broad chest and jerked his head behind him. "The more important question is who is he."

Klaus walked up and stood in between Caroline and Stefan. "Good day, everyone. My name is Klaus."

The woman slowly stood up next to the man as the realization settled in her eyes. "You're the hybrid." It wasn't a likely question. It was an unwavering statement.

He smiles greatly from ear to ear. "You've heard of me? Fantastic."

"There is no need to be afraid of us. As long as you cooperate and obey, there is no reason for us to make this any bloodier than it needs to be." Caroline warns, taking a seat next to Stefan on a large rock nearby.

Klaus cleared his throat while everyone else stood around them and their eyes were on him. "Given that you all know what I am, you must have an idea of what I'm doing here and what I want from all of you. It's fascinating, actually. Think about it: a werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid."

Suddenly, Ray's back arched off of the ground and he gasps for air, crawling onto his stomach. "Excellent timing, Ray." Klaus said, amused. "Very dramatic."

"What's happening to me?" Ray asked, huffing for air.

Klaus turned to Stefan. "Stefan?"

He gets up. "Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition into a vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die."

Caroline stands up as well. "It doesn't take much to complete the transition. Just merely a sip. Any volunteers? A boyfriend or a girlfriend along for the ride?"

Klaus looks at the blonde man standing next to the woman. "You." He rushes over to him, biting his forearm before pushing him into Stefan to knock the human down onto his back, pinning him there.

"No!" The woman yells, trying to protest but Klaus stands in the way with his hand around her throat.

"If you don't drink it, Ray, I will." Stefan said, eyeing the man's bleeding wound. "Problem is, I don't know how to stop."

"Oh, for Heaven's sake." Caroline complained, dropping to her knees, grabbing a fistful of Ray's hair at the back of his head and shoving his face into the bleeding arm, forcing him to drink.

"It's the new order, sweetheart." Klaus said to the woman in his grasp. "You join us, or you die."

"I'd rather die than be a vampire." She hissed.

"Wrong choice." Klaus bit into his wrist and shoved it into her face, petting her head. "She'll thank me for that later." When she's had enough, he broke her neck and dropped her dead body to the ground. His eyes glowing yellow and his canines probing out of his gums. "Who's next?"

After Klaus fed every werewolf on the site a small portion of his blood and snapped their necks. Now, their bodies were scattered around the campground, unmoving as if Caroline was standing in the middle of a battlefield. Caroline was sitting next to Ray, who was holding his sides and trembling. "They're dead." Ray whispered, his voice quivering. "They're all dead."

"He's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon." Klaus said, looking at Ray's suspicious condition intently.

"So this is your master plan?" Stefan asked, leaning against a tree on the other side to Ray. "Build an army of hybrid slaves?"

Klaus shook his head. "No, not slaves. Soldiers and comrades."

"For what war, might I ask?" Stefan pried, curiously.

"Let's just say that after you build your army so big, no one will ever consider or dare to pick a fight with you."

"What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?"

"Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team." Klaus smiled. "That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder."

Stefan laughed. "That's why you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?"

"You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know." Klaus stated, simply.

"Niklaus, something is wrong." Caroline suddenly interrupted their conversation, and observing the blood trickling from his eyes.

Klaus sat on the other side of Ray, grabbing his chin and intently examining his face. "That shouldn't be happening, should it?" Stefan asked, mockingly.

"Well, obviously." Klaus muttered.

"You-You said it was gonna feel better." Ray stuttered. "Why doesn't it feel better?"

Caroline looked up at Klaus, who merely and silently crossed his arms over his chest.

"Some master race." Stefan muttered.

"Lose the attitude, Stef. It's not needed." Caroline snapped at him.

Suddenly, the girl who was named Paige and she was the one who was the first to drink Klaus's blood here woke up. Klaus told Derek, who has been giving his blood to everyone and was under Klaus's compulsion, to feed his girlfriend just as Ray snarls and runs away. "Go get him." Klaus demands Stefan, who glares at him.

"Will you two stop arguing? I'll go get him." Caroline volunteered.

But Klaus stopped her. "There's no need, love. I'm telling Stefan to get Ray."

Stefan silently ran after Ray and Caroline took a seat. "You know, Stefan is just as at risk as I am at getting a fatal werewolf bite tonight too."

"I know, Caroline. But unlike him, you do not need prove your importance to me to get my blood in order to heal you."

"Stefan is just as worthy as I am. He went with you five months ago, giving up his girlfriend and everything he knew just to save his brother. You wanted the ripper of Stefan. But ripper Stefan now still has a lot of spite and regret and unsteady willpower left in him. Give it time and he'll be your again."

His eyebrows creased in confusion. "What do you mean, 'again'?"

Out of nowhere, Stefan returned to the campsite but without Ray. Instead, he was holding another man by the back of his neck, dragging him to Klaus's sight a few feet away from him. "I couldn't find Ray, but found an alternative." Stefan said.

Klaus cocked an eyebrow down at the man on his hands and knees. "Did he attempt to escape us while I was busy turning everyone?"

"No, he just arrived at the campsite late." Stefan explained. "Say, Klaus, when you felt the need to 'test' my loyalty to you yesterday, why don't you do the same to Caroline right now?"

"Don't drag me into this, Stefan. It's not my fault that your loyalty is sceptical most of the time."

"Oh, really? I think this will change your mind." Stefan reached down, grabbing a fistful of ebony hair and yanking up, forcing his captive to look up from the ground and Caroline gasped in horror. The alarm and horror overtook her untroubled and confident expression as realized who it was.

"Felix..." Caroline whispered, staggeringly. When she made a move to take a step towards the bloodied and incoherent Felix, Klaus's hand shot up from his side and clasped around her wrist. She looked down at her restraint and then met Klaus's cold eyes. "Klaus. Let me go."

He shook his head. "We should not and can not have any distractions today, Caroline."

"He's hurt, can't you see? I need to see if he's okay. I don't know how bad his injuries are. Please let go of me."

Klaus reluctantly released Caroline's wrist, looking sadly into her eyes before his eyes looked to Stefan. "Go bring Ray back and this time do not return without him."

Stefan cursed under his breath and angrily departed again. Caroline ran to Felix, kneeling beside him. "How hurt are you?" She asked, frantically.

"I think a rib or two are broken and might have dislocated my shoulder."

"If you drink my blood, your injuries will heal."

"And it won't turn me into a hybrid when he kills me?"

"No, it won't. And I won't let anyone kill you, Felix. They'll all have to go through me first. But the healing process may hurt a little."

"I'm a werewolf. I've been through hell of a lot every month, my bones breaking and shifting and then back into place once the transformation is over and I'm human the next day."

Caroline let him rest his head on her lap after she had fed him her blood. She stroked his damp hair as he fell asleep, her eyes eventually wandered to Klaus who was standing on the opposite side of the campsite and he was brooding, although he tried covering up his pain by distracting himself with examining his werewolves in transition.

"He killed them all, didn't he?" Felix whispered when he woke up an hour or two later, still in Caroline's lap.

She nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, but he has been waiting for this day to come longer than I ever existed as a vampire and a human. I never knew you had a pack."

"I don't. Never have. But Ray has given a place to stay a week every month since I left my parents and became vulnerable on my own. Hunters would have killed me during my first transportation outside of my family's home, but I've survived these years under the protection of Ray's pack. My real family."

Caroline stroked his hair with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Felix. But I could not and would not stop him. Maybe if I had known Ray was your friend, I would have saved him from the bunch but I never thought you knew these people."

"In that case, then I'm sorry for not being honest with you in the beginning. I promised myself that I would keep this life and the life I have in Reidsville apart from each other. I never wanted you to become involved with my werewolf life."

"And for that, I'm grateful, Felix. You are and have been a great friend. I'm just sorry that my hands are utterly tied in this situation."

"No, I never expected you to face this brute. It's his fault that my friends were killed tonight, not yours."

"On the contrary, wolf," Klaus suddenly said as he stood over Caroline and Felix with his arms crossed over his chest and an arrogant smirk on his lips. "She could have stopped me if she had truly wanted to, but she didn't."

"As if you would ever let me oppose you, Niklaus. Do not put me in the middle of your business. You and I both know how badly and how long you have wanted to turn werewolves into hybrids. And I also know you would do everything and anything, _kill_ anyone to get what you want. Even me."

"What happens next, Caroline?" Klaus asked. "Are you going to stand in my way? Will I be forced to go through you in order to get to him and turn your friend into a hybrid?"

Caroline looked over her shoulder and up at Klaus. "If it comes down to that, then yes. It is the least I can do for him, the friends he has lost tonight and the hospitality he has given me for the past five months. You have enough werewolves already in the process of transition. You do not need him too. And besides, you promised me you wouldn't hurt him."

"I do not know if you have forgotten to fully understand me, Caroline, but I have a tendency to break irrelevant and bothersome promises."

"Oh, my mistake. Then please prove me wrong, Niklaus. Break the promise you made to me and this irrelevant and bothersome agreement between you and I will be just as broken." She stood up, gently laying Felix's head on the ground before turning around and facing Klaus. She went to retrieve the trusty knife in her boot but nothing was there. Caroline's eyes became frantic and worried. "Where is my knife, Niklaus?"

He pulled it out from the belt loop behind his back on his jeans and twirled the familiar blade in between his fingers. "You mean this old thing? Say, Caroline, why do you still carry this memorable keepsake around? I mean, there are many improved blades in the world over the years, however I cannot help but notice you have had this particular blade longer than its needed."

"Give it back to me, Niklaus. If you intend to break your promise, then that is where I draw the line and I will oppose you, just like I always have."

"Answer me, Caroline."

"Do not get off topic with me, Niklaus."

He smirked, knowingly. "You are avoiding the question, love."

She sighed, impatiently. "If you haven't noticed, it is the same blade that I used to kill my human life and turn myself into a vampire. Happy?"

"Now, why have you kept it around this long? Surely you could have thrown it away and relieve yourself of the regret and hatred you feel towards yourself. But you never did, why is that?"

"Every time I look at that blade, holding in my hand and killing the lives around me whoever threatens me, it reminds me that I've made it this long because of my revulsion and dissimilarity towards you. And I know one day, somehow, I'll be able to ultimately take your very existence away from you with the same blade that I used to end my human life to be with you." Caroline's eyes shifted to the dead bodies around them and sadly took in the battlefield she participated in. "This is the last time I ever let you have what you want. You know, the only reason I stood back tonight and let you kill all of these werewolves is because you have been waiting centuries long before me for this to come true. I am a hypocrite, saying that I'll always stop you or prevent you from getting what you want for your personal gain. Not anymore." Caroline quickly rushed over to him, pushing Klaus to the ground and pinning him while she held her knife again and held it against his throat. "Do not think for a second that I will not stab you again. I was fool to think you actually gave a damn about anything else about yourself, maybe even me, but you have proven me wrong. Again. Congratulations."

She slowly slit the side of his throat while he stared unaffected up at her and found the warrior inside of her once again. Caroline stood up, turned her back on him and walked back to Felix. She helped him lean up against a tree trunk before she looked over her should to see Klaus getting up from the ground and the cut against his throat healing. "If you hurt him, or come anywhere near us, I will stand in your way." Caroline warned, strongly and vehemently.

This day took a turn for the worse. As the sun began to set, and with Stefan and Ray still missing somewhere deep within the forest, the more werewolves that have woken up and fed on Derek, the more they bled through their eyes and the less they began to act human. But Klaus patiently and desperately waited for the transition to end, in hopes that they would all miraculously become hybrids, and despite what had happened hours before, he kept Caroline in his sights so that she wouldn't get bitten as the full moon became apparent in the summer sky above them. Felix had left the campsite to chain himself up for the night and he left before everyone awakened, sickened by the view of his friends around him. After Derek was not of use anymore, Klaus drained what was left of his blood and when the werewolves were all in transition, they were all bleeding through the eyes and walking around like zombies, slowly sauntering absentmindedly around the campground in circles and groaning incoherent words.

"Bloody hell." Klaus muttered.

Caroline pushed one of the were-zombies off of their feet with a simple push of her index finger. She finally looked at Klaus, who simply but regrettably nodded at what she was wordlessly asking him. By the time they were all dead, Klaus was silent and he sat down across from Caroline leaning against a tree, drinking down a beer or two in a fit of sulking rage and confusion. "Aren't you worried about your lapdog?" Klaus hissed, angrily.

"If it is any of your business, yes, I am worried. I have always worried about him for the five months that we've lived together. I would worry after he has left me in Reidsville for a week every month. Just now, I volunteered to go with him, but he didn't want to risk it as willingly as I was to risk everything that I am to assist him tonight."

"You would do that for him? Risk everything just to know that he was okay?" He snorted. "The Caroline _I_ knew would have never been that imprudent and irresponsible."

She looked at him. "The Caroline you knew would have never done it for you. Unlike him, you are not worth the risk. Unlike you, Felix has always been a reliable and selfless friend of mine. Something you have and never truly will be of mine."

His lips formed into a tight line. "Maybe I should go turn him and he will die a painfully slow death as his friends have tonight."

"You do that, Niklaus, and I will fight you to the death before you ever hurt him."

Just as Klaus was about to respond, Stefan finally reappeared to the campsite. He had Ray on his shoulders and appeared to be stumbling his walk and his face looked a bit perspiring for some reason. He dropped Ray to the ground and looked around in bewilderment as well. "What the hell happened here?" Stefan asked.

"They all went rabid." Caroline said.

"Some of them, we killed. The others just... bled out." Klaus slowly stood up and walked halfway towards Stefan. "In the end, they're all dead." He abruptly spun around and threw the beer bottle away, screaming in frustration to the heavens. "I did everything I was told!" Klaus yelled at Stefan. "I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelganger."

Suddenly, Stefan fell to his knees and coughed up blood. Caroline ran to his side and smelt it. "Niklaus, he has been bitten." Caroline observed, examining Stefan's forearm. "He's dying and he needs your blood."

"I had to take him out." Stefan muttered, regarding a dead Ray beside him. "I didn't have a choice. I failed you. I'm sorry. Do what you have to."

"It should have worked." Klaus grumbled. He picked up two empty beer bottles he drank out of, bit into his hand and poured his blood in both bottles less than halfway. He tossed one of the bottles at the ground in front of Stefan. "Bottoms up."

Stefan urgently grabbed the bottle, drank it all and stood to his feet. "Meet me in the car." Klaus said and Stefan left without another question. Caroline got up from the ground with a confused look on her face. "What's that bottle for?" She asked him when it was just the two of them again.

"For you." He responded, simply.

"I'm fine, Niklaus. I wasn't bitten."

He nodded "I know, but it may come in handy where you're going next."

"And where am I going, Niklaus?"

"To go find that werewolf friend of yours and go home with him."

"I sold my freedom to you the moment I left Reidsville with you in order to keep Felix alive. I cannot go back without the worry that you'll ever be over my shoulder, threatening to kill him."

He shook his head. "There's nothing to worry about, Caroline. I will still keep my promise to you after you had left with him tonight."

"How can I be so sure? You always say one thing, and you do the exact opposite. I have never trusted your word, Niklaus."

"I give you my word, now, Caroline. I will not hurt him. I promise."

"What has changed your mind?"

"You have never wanted to be influenced by my selfish and vindictive actions, Caroline. But simultaneously, I do not want to be unconsciously held back or held down by you just so that I can finally have you approval of me. That's not me. It will never be me."

Caroline took the beer bottle and held it in her hands. "Thank you, Niklaus. For what it was worth, I hope you find out what went wrong tonight, but I know wherever you are going next, I know you will discover the error. And truth be told, I actually enjoyed escaping from our incessantly exhausting rivalry for a few days. It was like a pleasant and impossible dream that will never come true. It was blissful while it lasted, but it is reality. This is our reality."

She spun around, but didn't walk away. Caroline contemplated whether she should do what she wanted to do before she left him again. In the end, she faced him, looked him in the eyes, stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek lingeringly. And then Caroline squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from him, walking from him without another glance and Klaus watched her until she was gone into the darkness.

After Klaus made it back to his car alone, Stefan was waiting in the driver's seat and he confusedly looked to where Klaus came from, looking for and expecting Caroline to be closely following behind. "Where's Caroline?" Stefan asked.

"I let her go." Klaus stated.

Stefan's eyebrows creased. "Why would you do that?"

Klaus simply looked at Stefan. "Just drive." He demanded.

Stefan rolled his eyes, jamming the key into the ignition and drove away in utter silence. Klaus stared out the window, knowing exactly why he did what he did tonight. He knew the only time Caroline has ever been a warrior and felt the need to live on was fuelled by her hatred and need for revenge towards him. If he did something, said anything to ignite that fire inside of her again, Klaus knew she would fight to live again, which is what he have always wanted. He wanted that more than he wanted her. What he did tonight was deliberate and a success. Klaus wanted Caroline to leave him tonight with the hatred and passion towards what she believes and what she is. It is what has gotten her this far and maybe that is what Klaus truly loved most about her. What he has always loved about her, and what made his love for her grow, even after she became a vampire. Even if she hated him and opposed him, it was much better than being a submissive robot. It wouldn't be the same, just as the notion to compel her to love him. She wouldn't be who and what she is and what she stands for. And that's what Klaus fell terribly and genuinely in love with.

**live2write123: okay, not my longest chapter i admit (it's only eight pages on microsoft), but poor Klaus, eh? :( you may want to remember this moment folks. this was probably the first time Klaus has ever done a selfless action for someone else, regardless of what he did to do it. anyway, i hope you enjoyed and i'll see you all next time! :D**


	31. Chapter Thirty

**live2write123: hey everyone! long time no update i know :( and i can't begin to apologize for the very, VERY extensive delay -_-. i really don't want to blame it on school, but that's because of the new and cruel life of college O.O i never expected it to be easy, but i never thought it would take up THIS much of my time -_-. but here it is! it's probably not the greatest update you were expecting, but it's moving forward right? and i'm just warning you that it'll probably won't flow as well because i've been moving around parts, adding and taking away different scenes to make it work. but in the end, i hope it's to everyone's liking!**

**ps. this chapter very loosely based off of 'The End of The Affair'. i can't help but notice that i haven't done a flashback scene in a while so there are a few in this chapter! :) i don't know about any of you, but i've really missed those flashbacks :3.**

**pss. thanks to everyone who puts up with me and haven't given up on me or this story yet :). again, i'm so sorry for the delay and i hope it doesn't take this long to update again, but i can't really make any promises unfortunately. but pretty please, review, alert, favourite, comment, and most importantly enjoy reading! :D**

**on a side note, i listened to the song "Are We There Yet?" by: Ingrid Michaelson. i'm pretty sure the song was in the background during this episode, but the lyrics remind me of this chapter :). if you haven't heard of it, please listen to it if you want a thorough understanding of the chapter :). **

**Chapter Thirty: Are We There Yet?**

_**Flashback (Chicago, Illinois - 1922)**_

_Caroline was taking her time hooking her dangling, platinum gold earrings through the tiny holes in her earlobes while she listened to the small, portable record player spinning slow and sensual jazz music in her five-star hotel room. It had been a year since she arrived in Chicago, in need of an incessant thrill and sheer fascination. She allowed her primal animal, her inner goddess to relish in the music, the dancing, the men falling at her feet, and she couldn't forget the prohibited drinking as well. It was the source of electricity that coursed through her cold veins. She adored the attention she had while walking into the doors of a new bar. It never left her bed cold at night for too long until the next man fell in to._

_When she had finished her makeup, wrapping three separate pearl necklaces around her neck and pulling on a pair of black silk gloves that reached her elbows before she stepped into her blood-red, skin-tight fringe flapper dress and into a black pair of pumps. Caroline admired herself in her bathroom mirror, turning off her record player and tugging on the rim of her black velvet fedora further down her forehead to shadow her eyes. She stepped out of her hotel room with a foreign appealing and noticeable sway to her hips as she_ _suddenly transformed into the seductive and flirtatious flapper, Constance Forester._

_And tonight, Gloria's was most definitely the place to be tonight._

_Shortly after she had already arrived at her favourite bar in the city, her eyes made sure that he wasn't in the room to ruin her party and make her go elsewhere. She heard that he and his petulant little sister were back in the city, but that never made her leave the state completely. She just had to be wise and attentive, beneath her untroubled, sassy and confident exterior. Gradually, as people made way for Caroline to walk to the bar where the young African-American witch named Gloria stood behind._

_"Good evening, Caroline." She announced._

_"Shh!" Caroline hushed quickly, panicked._

_Gloria scanned around her bar before she looked at Caroline again. "He is nowhere in sight, dear. What is wrong with you?"_

_"I implore you, Gloria, I go by Constance Forester now, remember?"_

_"You should never give that man the pleasure of you changing your name, so that you can hide from him in the shadows. It is not fair, dear."_

_"Believe me, I understand. But this is the only way I have survived this long. I ask you to warn me if he and his irksome baby sister ever enters this bar, please."_

_"Of course. You know, I have always liked you more than any other vampire that walks into this bar. But I understand completely why you hide from view. His wrath is unbeatable, nonetheless, Constance, one day you will defeat him."_

_Caroline shrugged. "A girl can hope. I'm armed. I have a blade underneath my dress, but always I made a promise to you months ago that I will drain someone completely in your bar."_

_"And I am grateful for that, dear. Say, I will keep your promise if you perform a song or two. I heard a rumour no one from your past is bound wind up here tonight."_

_"Then of course, I will. Who am I to refuse my favourite witch?"_

_Gloria smiled, mischievously. "Can I get anything for you?"_

_"Tequila, please. I'm going to need a little boost for tonight's performance."_

_She nodded. "Coming right up."_

_Caroline smiled, gratefully. "Thank you."_

_**Present Day (Reidsville, North Carolina)**_

After a long night of travelling, Caroline waited for Felix to turn back into a human around dawn and then returned to the apartment with Felix sleeping in the trunk of his pick-up truck. She carried his barely-clothed body up the fire escape, in order to track less attention to the sleeping naked man in her arms through the lobby, until they reached his apartment window. She placed him on his bed, covering his body with a blanket, sat next to him and kept an eye on him while he slept until her heavy eyelids eventually caved and gave into her weariness. The next time she opened her eyes, the warmth of Felix's body next to her was gone and on instinct, she panicked, running out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. In the end, she released a relieving sigh at the sight of him standing in front of the refrigerator, showered with pyjama pants, his bare and broad back facing her. He was taking out eggs and the jug of milk before walking them to the counter.

"Is this apart of a ritual that happens after your monthly transformation?" Caroline asked, leaning in the open doorway from the hallway to the kitchen. "You cook and eat like a caveman?"

He looked over his shoulder with a haughty smirk on his face. "Somewhat, yes. But it's only because I try not to hunt down humans, let alone eat anything, in my uncontrollable wolf state. So the next day, I devour anything that's edible when I'm human again."

She nods. "That's understandable. But really? You think you can eat _all_ of this food by yourself?"

He snorts, confidently. "Of course I can. However, I've already cooked and eaten _my _breakfast. I'm starting to cook your food."

Caroline cocked an eyebrow at him and paced her hands on her hips. "You and I both know I don't eat this much food. I take this as an insult, Felix, if you really think I eat this much."

"Caroline, it's not supposed to be an insult. We have a big and busy day ahead of us."

"And what are _we_ doing, Felix?"

Felix looked at her with a playful gleam in his eyes. "We're going on a little road trip. You may or may not know the place, but it's a little town in Virginia called Mystic Falls."

Her eyes widened and her hands began to shake. "Hell no." She managed to shake her head after a few seconds of processing. "You and I are not going to visit Mystic Falls."

"Who said about visiting? I'm driving you to go _live_ in Mystic Falls. But don't worry, in a day or two when I come back, I'm gonna put my apartment up for sale in the newspaper and after we are reunited in Mystic Falls in a day or two, we're gonna look up available houses for sale in Mystic Falls."

"No way. I don't think you understand. When I left five months ago, I had no intention going back, let alone living permanently in Mystic Falls. I didn't even say goodbye to anyone when I left. We're not going to Mystic Falls and I'm not living in Mystic Falls."

"Well, that's too bad. I already called into my work this morning and already quit my job."

Her jaw dropped open. "Felix! Why on earth would you do that? What brought this up, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just remember a few weeks after you started living with me, you said you always wanted to live in Mystic Falls, despite all of the fear and memories and burdens that you have carried around with you for centuries. But you explained to me how Mystic Falls will always be the magnet pulling you in, that you'll never feel completely at home unless you're living in Mystic Falls. And as for my job? There has to be something better out there for me, rather than sitting in an office all day, answering phone calls and fetching orders like coffee or lunch to my boss."

"Yeah, sure Mystic Falls is where everything began for me. But living there is not something I would actually do, Felix. It's mission impossible to actually live in that tragic little town and not run into possible life-threatening situations, which is worth the risk to live somewhere else that isn't Mystic Falls."

"That might be true, Caroline, but who are you to defy against impossibility? The Caroline I've grown to know would have done anything to prove anyone, including herself, otherwise. So, yes. You're going to make living in Mystic Falls possible, and I'm going to help you. And besides," he finally looked at her in the eye with solemn, "you've been living here for five, almost six months now? And you haven't even unpacked your bags yet."

Her eyes dropped to the floor, shamefully and she cupped her elbow. "I have a reason for that. It's just... I've been living on the move for centuries. I've never bought a home for myself, ever, because I was always running. A temporary hotel or roommate has always been my home."

"Well, today we're going to change that. And I won't take no for answer. So, you go have a shower because you stink and by then, you're breakfast will be served. Or I'm going by myself and who knows what vampire or hunter or both would do to the Mystic Falls newcomer."

Caroline's eyes narrowed at him, accusingly. "I hate you so much right now."

"Love you, too. Now, tell me how you like your eggs? Scrambled? Fried?"

"Omelette. A fancy omelette. You are _forcing_ me to permanently _live _in the Devil's Hellhole. My 'moving out' breakfast has to be just as spontaneous and spectacular."

He finished lifting the one strap over his neck before tying his 'Kiss-The-Chef' apron around his bare waist. "Coming up, my lady." Felix mocked a bow.

She beamed at him. "I'll be back."

Standing under the trickling showerhead, Caroline went extensively and thoroughly on what she was doing next. Would it be possible to live in a small house in Mystic Falls Drink tea on the front porch and watch the sunrise? It had always crossed her mind and it always peaked her interest, but the timing and option was never available. She also wondered where the hell Klaus and Stefan ended up now, and if they were to ever really going to find the reason why Klaus could not turn those werewolves into hybrids. No matter what she did to distract herself with something other than _him_, normally she could with the people around her. But at this particular moment, she couldn't even if she wanted to.

No matter how many bad things he did to anyone, including herself, she would always questioned if he'll ever be happy. If he'll ever finally discover what he's been looking for to keep him satisfied. It sure wasn't Caroline, she knew that. Could creating a hybrid army truly make him happy? Was it protection that he wanted? Was it was the fulfillment of companionship that is what he yearned for? Or perhaps it was both, and maybe building an army of loyal soldiers could give him defence and friendship simultaneously.

If that truly made him happy, great it's about time. As long as he could be happy out of Caroline's idea of happiness and fulfillment: being as far away from Niklaus Mikaelson as possible. But why didn't that seem 'oh-so' appealing anymore?

_I needed to distance myself from him and his murderous ways. _Caroline thought to herself as she rinsed the shampoo and conditioner out of her golden locks. _This is good. I have to get back to reality because recently, I've been living in a human dream world and it's already making my stomach churn._

When Caroline finished her showered, she braided her wet hair and got changed into a green camisole, dark denim shorts and a pair of magenta flats. As she ate her breakfast, Felix carried her already-packed bags outside and into his truck. By the time Felix had finished, he noticed that Caroline was indiscreetly and childishly stalling, taking little bites of her delicious omelette until it had gone cold, which led Felix to sit next to her and awkwardly stare at her as she ate every bite. After she had finished, he snatched her plate and fork away, washed it quickly under the faucet of the sink and used a hand towel to dry them before putting them away. He opened the passenger door to his truck for her to slid in before he hopped into the drivers seat and started his vehicle with a loud rumble.

"All righty! You ready for your big moving day, Carebear?" He said as he reversed out of the underground parking lot, reassuringly using the nickname he started calling her since she moved in with him.

Caroline gave him a flat, 'are-you-kidding-me?' glare. "No. It feels as though I am a human teenager who is about to be kicked out of the nest to prematurely fly to college or university."

"Have you even been to a normal high school or college or university?"

She shrugged, vaguely and uninterestedly "Maybe once or twice."

"Well, then if that's the case then, is this the part where I'm supposed to say: 'my baby's all grown up' and break out into tears?"

"No. This is the part where I beat you to a pulp for making me do this."

Felix scoffed, falsely shocked. "That's not what a child would normally say to their parents before going off to school and starting their independence."

She shook her head, exasperatedly. "I still can't believe I'm doing this."

"Come on, Carebear. Admit it, you've been wanting to do this for centuries but you never had the guts to actually do it. You just severely needed a push in that direction. I'm pushing you to follow your dream."

"And what'll happen to you? Are you really going to sell your apartment? I thought you loved that place."

"I do. But it reminds me too much of my adolescence and 'go-big-or-go-home' sleepless parties after I moved away from my family and became emancipated. It's time for a change. For both of us."

Caroline sighed roughly and faintly shakily. "I hope you're right."

He looked over at her and smiled. "I know I am."

After the first half hour of driving, Caroline was busy and fascinated with reading Felix's copy of _Gone With The Wind_ with the soft sound of country music playing off of his radio, he finally cleared his throat over music and the silence between them. Caroline looked up from her book and curiously stared at Felix. "Is something wrong? Are your eyes getting tired of seeing the same endless road yet?" She asked, amusingly.

Felix chuckled at the back of his throat. "No."

"Because if you are, let me know and I'll take over. You've had a long night of wolf-ing around the Smoky Mountains and not nearly enough sleep for one night."

"The truck hasn't started swerve in and out of the road yet, Caroline."

She closed her book and tilted her head at him in curiousity. "Then, what's up?"

He sighed. "You know, I've never asked you this but I've kinda always wondered after you started living with me."

"Ask away."

"You've been around for a long time, but I never asked you what your favourite time in history to live in was."

"I don't hear that question, however I always knew the answer to it."

"What is it?"

Caroline smiled. "The 20s. Definitely the 20s." She murmured, blissfully.

His eyebrows creased in confusion. "Why the 20s?"

Her smile only widened. "The constant magnetism and seduction of the aroma towards every night never ceased to end. It was a beautiful time in history. I loved sleeping through the entire day so that I could put on my makeup, get all dressed up and spend the entire night out in the streets at a car race in the countryside or at bar somewhere where I could dance and sing and drink until the sun rose and do it all over again."

"And dare I ask what role did you have during this historical time?"

"I was, ironically, a flapper named Constance Forester. Unlike most young woman who were rich and classy and reserved at the time, I wore excessive makeup, drank publicly, treated sex in a casual manner, I smoked, listened to jazz music, and I drove vehicles."

Felix suddenly gasped. "I'm shocked! You're not a virgin?!"

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, restraining herself from punching his shoulder. "A girl has needs too, Mr. Dawson."

He laughed. "Why did you have a different name?"

"Isn't it obvious? I was on the run and in hiding from Klaus. I could never walk into public with my genuine name rumoured around the crowds that Niklaus stood in. I even cut off all of my hair in a bob haircut and dyed it a platinum blonde to cover my appearance."

"Ah." He said with realization. "I had a feeling it all resorted back to _him_ again."

"Yes, but unfortunately, my role as a 'supposed' rebellious rich Flapper girl from the upper class part of the city at the time, Caroline Forbes became rebellious as well. And disobedience and distractions were never an option in the same city as Niklaus."

_**Flashback (Chicago, Illinois - 1922)**_

_Everyone in the room suddenly stopped dancing and applauded out of respect as Gloria took the microphone. "Good evening everyone. I would like to present a dear friend of mine who is willing to treat all of you good people tonight. Please welcome Constance Forester to the stage!"_

_Everyone roared in remembrance of Caroline's seductive personality as the dimmed-lightening brightened up the room and a spotlight spilled over her body. The song, "Crazy Blues" by: Mamie Smith began to play in the background and she sung her song. Nobody danced during her singing, they stopped and stared at her in awe, women in envy, and most in utterly visible desire. After she had finished, everyone roared in respect and adoration as she stepped off the stage, grabbing a glass of champagne off of a waiter's serving trey on the way to her own table. _

_Her fedora hat was low on her forehead, but she could see everyone. Including a man who had his eyes on her for the entire night, silently sipping on his champagne glass from the corner of the bar. He had a waitress or two on his arm, but he did not pay any attention to them. His sights were glued to Caroline's tempting and snug dress on her every endless curve. "Quite a voice you have, miss."_

_She tipped her hat towards him. "Thank you, good sir. I am happy to have pleased you."_

_His eyebrow tilted out of interest and outstretched his hand towards the empty side of the booth across from her. "May I sit?"_

_"Certainly. The more, the merrier."_

_He slid into and ordered a scotch from a passing waitress. "How can I be of service to you?" Caroline asked._

_"Can I not pay a beautiful and talented singer a compliment without having a ulterior motive?"_

_"Forgive me, sir. Of course you can. But do tell me why you have followed your impulse to make yourself known to me?"_

_"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Richard King. I am a businessman from Los Angeles. I have been in Chicago for a little over week now and I have not yet had the pleasure to come across a woman as bewitching as you."_

_"Mr. King, I am certain you are wrong. As appreciative I am towards your compliment, I am aware that you have made yourself known to most of the young, unattached women in this very bar every night during your short stay in Chicago."_

_His face suddenly hardened, his body tensing at the truth within her accusation. "Where did you hear such a rumour? Who told you this lie?"_

_"It is no rumour nor lie when it is true, Mr. King. And I refuse to be another trophy on your business wall after you are done with me. Forgive me, but I have other men on my mind to warm my bed with. And you, sir, have plenty of women in this bar whom you have not had the delight to spend the night with. They, as well as your past lovers, are_ _watching our every move with envy as we speak. I am sorry to inform you, but I am no longer interested in you anymore. Good night, Mr. King."_

_Caroline finished her drink in one last gulp before she stood up, tipping her hat out of reluctant respect at the speechless heartbreaker as he looked up at her in shock and slight jealousy. She wandered away from the table, blending into the crowd as she went to fetch another glass of champagne and to converse with genuine bachelors who did not have an ulterior motive._

_**Present Day (Danville, Virginia- 2010)**_

After Caroline finished her shortened, vague adaptation of her past, her eyes fell onto Felix. He was simply nodding along to her words, but then he suddenly had a cheeky smile on his face that caused her to break off mid-sentence. She looked over at him and her eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "What's so funny?" Caroline asked.

He shrugged, repressing back a smile. "Nothing at all. Do continue your story."

"Tell me!" She said, amused and playfully pushed on his arm.

"It's just I've seen that side of you before, that entirely wild, carefree and untroubled version of yourself." Felix briefly looked at her with sincerity burning in his eyes. "I wished I could see more of her more often."

Caroline looked away, her face reddening at his honesty. "You're not the only one. I was actually the life of the party, believe it or not."

"I have no doubt in my mind that you weren't. Now, please finish your story. I want to hear more of this wild, untameable creature."

"That was it. There's nothing left to say."

"Caroline, that's a lie and we both know it. That simply wasn't the end of the story."

"Fine, no it wasn't. However I want to read more of this book, drive in silence and enjoy this as long as I can before I'm forced to reunite with my old friends when they harass me with questions."

"Oh come on. Carebear, you can't sit there and try to convince me that you don't miss your friends at all."

"I know I miss them. Of course I do. But I never had the intention to go back there. I threw away my cell phone, literally cutting off my connections with everyone I knew before I started living with you."

"Just think of this as a favour, Caroline, for all the times you have saved me. I know you've always wanted to live in Mystic Falls like a normal citizen in the surrounding of people you love and protect. Just wait. You'll thank me later for this."

She rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that, Dawson."

He cleared his throat, loud and mockingly. "Excuse me? I do believe you have a story to finish."

"Well, obviously, Richard King couldn't stay away from me for too long. But I knew his game and I wouldn't dare to be another temporary fling. Then again, I also wouldn't bore myself with going home empty-handed."

_**Flashback (Chicago, Illinois - 1922)**_

_As the night began to progress, now everyone was dancing to Gloria's slow and tantalizing singing and Caroline was enjoying the song from a distance alone at her own table before good ol' Richard King refused to take 'no' for answer, given that it was probably the first time any woman had dismissed him and his advances on the bat. _

_She sighed, annoyed and impatient at him. "Mr. King, I do believe I had made myself perfectly clear."_

_"I must confess, Miss Forester, that I have never been talked to the way you have sent away earlier this evening. I will not let rumours and lies determine your first impression of me."_

_Caroline finally removed the fedora from her head, suddenly having a change of heart. "Fine, granted. Truth be told, I honour your maddening persistence and if I must speak in honesty and confess that you are a sight for sore eyes, but do not let any of my praises increase your character, Mr. King. Will you buy me a drink?"_

_"If you are willing to give me a second chance to mend our first encounter, I will buy you any drink you want from this bar."_

_"Thank you, good sir." Caroline leaned forward in her seat. "And maybe, just maybe, if you're a good boy, we could take this party-for elsewhere later tonight."_

_An eyebrow cocked up out of peaked interest and seduction. "What will it be?" He asked, rather, seductively._

_She smiled her little, up-to-no-good vixen smirk and leaned back into her chair in a relaxed posture. "Bourbon, please."_

_Richard nodded once before standing up and giving her a brief bow. "Coming right up."_

_Caroline enjoyed the background music while she sat by herself and returned her view to Gloria, ending her first song and already starting up the band into another song for her to sing. But as Richard returned with two glasses of Bourbon, she watched Gloria's eyes flicker to the doorway._

_"Guess who my eyes have just spied, ladies?" Gloria spoke into the microphone as she swayed her hips to the music. "Looking for a good time, Mr. Salvatore?"_

_This caused Caroline's heart to drop to her stomach as the debate which Salvatore brother it was. She followed Gloria's line of stare and found the younger Salvatore leaning against the railing and his eyes amusingly scanning the crowd. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and turned to walk down the three steps. "Save me a dance, Gloria." He said, charmingly._

_Luckily, due to the expanding crowds as more people began to fill the place on a Friday night, Caroline relied on the company of Richard and chaotic shifting mob of partying humans to remain hidden within the crowd. But not for long. For the reason that not only was Stefan Salvatore, the famous Ripper of Monterrey who must have been lonely and now sought out for the comfort of the city, Caroline knew better that he would not be the only one to risk her chances of being exposed to those of her unforgettable and unavoidable past. To people who are higher above and a definite opposing threat to her well-being._

_She finished her drink, resisting the burn on her throat as she slid her fedora over her eyes. "Mr. King? How about that party-for-two?" Caroline asked, trying to keep her voice remain calm and unaffected._

_He nodded eagerly, gulping down the rest of his drink and outstretching his hand towards her. "After you, dear."_

_Caroline slid her hand into his and he took the lead, weaving out of the dancing crowds and out the door. She hoped that the young Salvatore brother, now rebellious, conceited and blood-crazed vampire, was simply passing through. But that was merely wishful thinking again, looking on the bright side when nothing was awaiting good outcome of this. And Caroline knew that if Stefan Salvatore was craving to visit Gloria's Bar out of every establishment which held prohibited alcohol in Chicago, others were sure to follow behind._

_**Present Day (Lynchburg, Virginia- 2010)**_

Another hour had pasted and already the evening was taking over the late summer sky with shades oranges and pinks and purples. After Felix practically begged her to enlighten and expand on her particularly favourite time in the past, he just nodded once when she refused to tell him anymore and he had been silently listening to the Country music softly playing in the background ever since. She closed the book in her lap, more than halfway done, and looked over at Felix, capturing his tired features in the dimmed lightening.

"Okay, either you let me drive the rest of the way or we stop at some motel for the night."

He licked his dry lips and spoke in a oddly strict tone. "I'm fine, Caroline. I'm not tired."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Look, I know you're sulking, but you've been to hell and back in the last twenty-four hours. Take your pick."

"We're almost there, anyway. Caroline. Another hour and we'll be there."

"Fine, then swallow your pride and let me drive so you can get some sleep."

"All right. I will. If you tell me the rest of your story, because we both know it's not nearly over."

"Why do you care so much?" She demanded, exasperatedly.

"Because I can't fathom why that part of your past is your favourite, if Klaus was there to ruin it for you."

"That is the reason why I loved it so much, Felix. During that time, I did eventually run into him. I was a fool to truly believe I wouldn't. But it was that time where I truly understood him and why he is the way he is. What made him so bitter and indifferent and paranoid and vindictive to those around, even within his most-trusted circle he never fully trusted them. He was and still is feared because of his unpredictable impulses and thoughts. Never once did I ever know for certain what he would do next. During the 20s, not only did I fall in love with the terribly addictive and beautifully repetitive aroma, I finally knew the paranoid and sceptical Klaus that he tried to hide beneath the lies and betrayals he gave out to everyone on a daily basis. He was just as worried as I was from those who pursued him and were a threat to his welfare. We all have our demons, Felix, and they are the reasons why we do what we do."

Suddenly and silently, Felix slowed the car down and drove off to the side of the road. He unbuckled his seatbelt before reaching over to press the button to unbuckle hers. Felix looked into her eyes with an unreadable and expressionless reaction. "Now was that too hard?" He asked and got out of the car before she could answer. They traded spots, as Felix reclined the passenger chair and turned his head away from her as Caroline resumed to drive to Mystic Falls. While driving in complete silence, Caroline reminisced what had happened after Klaus had finally made an appearance after he witnessed his sister falling in love with Stefan. Even though she fled from the bar that night, she could never stay away for too long. Not when in that particular time, she loved and craved the thrill of uncertainty.

_**Flashback (Chicago, Illinois - 1922)**_

_It had been a week and a half since Niklaus, his baby sister and Stefan have been drinking and draining Gloria's most expensive liquor in their own booth, directly across the room from where Caroline sat with her next boy to warm her bed for the night. After she had spent the night with Richard, he became surprisingly clinging and she had to compel him to forget about her and to leave Chicago due to business before he exposed her to the obvious. Even though every night, Caroline watched Niklaus intriguingly and distractedly become friends with the new heartless Stefan Salvatore, absolutely having a high regard for Stefan's diverse and endless ways to trap and play with his innocent human victims before draining their bodies. And every day did his sister's bizarre and swift interest in the famous Ripper grow. _

_On one particular night, Niklaus had confessed the most important parts of his human past to Stefan, the gentle human Caroline once knew when he was still human fifty-eight years ago. Beneath Gloria's nightly singing and the band that overpowered almost everyone's conversation, Caroline listened to Niklaus's conversation with Stefan when the two had become exposed and honest with one another. At one point, after his brief and shortened life-story, Niklaus truly admitted that he believed he was an abomination for who he is and for his human mother's unfaithfulness. But Stefan reassured him, claiming that he was a King. Comforted, Niklaus warned Stefan to not let his heart do anything stupid after his sister's fancy for Stefan wears off and she inevitably leaves him, which led Caroline to believe he was speaking from a common past experience. But in the end, Stefan raised his shot glass to Niklaus, informing him that he was a good friend that and Stefan was glad to have met him._

_That was two nights ago. And now, as much as Caroline wanted to pay attention to the man sitting across from her table, telling her his life-story but he had barely captured her his attention in the first place. For the past week, Caroline made sure she arrived at Gloria's beforehand so that no one would make a big deal of her existence while vampires from her past were already present in the same bar. But tonight, Klaus sat at their booth alone as he watched his sister slowly dances with Stefan, a ghost of a sad smile on his lips. But then something suddenly startles him, which travels through the air and pricks painfully at Caroline's vampire senses and fear. She caught, for the first time that she's known him, utter fear and surprise in his widened eyes, scanning the crowd. _

_"It's the police! Chicago Police!" An officer yelled as the entire department stormed into the bar with gunshots flying sightlessly everywhere. Screams of worry were set off as bottles shattered and everyone fled before they were incarcerated. Somewhere within the madness, Caroline's eyes flew to Niklaus as he finished the remaining of his drink, unfazed by the open fire and angrily stood up to retrieve his sister. Stefan and she hid behind the bar, crouching down to the floor picking up one of the bullets from the ground and realizing that they were using wooden bullets._

_"They're using wooden bullets. They know." Stefan confirmed._

_"That mean he's here." Rebekah finally dawned on the fact that she and her brother have been found by the man that has been pursuing them for centuries._

_"Who?!" Stefan insisted, desperately._

_"Rebekah!" Niklaus yelled, shoving any of the rushing people that crossed his path. "Come on, we've got to go, sweetheart."_

_She stands up from her hiding spot just as Niklaus grabbed her arm and dragged her further away from Stefan. "What the hell is going on?" Stefan demanded, pursuing the two._

_Despite her brother's forceful and urgent pushing, she tried to look over her shoulder back at the young Salvatore. "Stefan-"_

_"Go!" Niklaus demanded, giving his beloved sister one last push towards the door and she did not try to fight him. He turns to Stefan, who seems distracted by a necklace on the ground within the shattered glass. "Stefan, I'm sorry, but the fun has to end here."_

_"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, utterly confused._

_Even from where Caroline stood from behind a wooden column, she recognized his dilating pupils shrinking and expanding as Niklaus regrettably compelled Stefan to forget. "You must forget Rebekah and me. Until I say otherwise, you never knew us, Stefan. Thank you. I had forgotten what it was like to have a brother."_

_By the time Stefan closed his eyes to blink, he reopened them and Niklaus was already gone from his sight. Caroline remains in the bar for a minute or two to see that Katerina was here tonight, watching over Stefan during the attack. Maybe it was she who told the police department that Gloria's Bar was selling prohibited alcohol, however wanted to make sure that Stefan survived the attack. But at the moment, Caroline could care less for Katerina's motives and refused to stay another moment longer than she needed to. She quietly followed Niklaus to the parking lot where he opened the door to his car for Rebekah to go into to, but she had her eyes expectantly on the door as if Stefan was about to burst out of it anytime soon._

_"Hurry up, Rebekah. Let's go!" He hissed in a urgent tone._

_She doesn't budge, nor looks over at her worried brother. "He'll be here."_

_Niklaus marched over to where she stood. "Do you want to die? We've been found. We need to move."_

_Rebekah stubbornly shook her head and looked at him with determination. "Not without Stefan."_

_"Stefan's not coming. We have to disappear."_

_"What did you do?"_

_"Come. We don't have time for one of your tantrums." He grabs her by her arm again, but this time she yanks it out of his grasp._

_"I don't want to run anymore, Nik! All we do is run."_

_"He'll draw too much attention, Rebekah. Let him go."_

_"Let him go? Is that what you told that human wench after you left her given that we were found again? And you never truly did let her go, Nik, have you? In any case not completely. I will not make the same mistake as you. I want to be with Stefan."_

_Niklaus's lips formed into a thin, tight line at the evoke memory of Caroline. "Fine, then choose. Him or me."_

_This time, she does not answer him. She closes her eyes with tears behind them. _

_"That's what I thought. Get in the truck, let's go." Niklaus said as he turned away and headed towards their vehicle._

_"Goodbye, Nik." Rebekah stated, firmly which cause her brother to stop dead in his tracks. He closed his eyes with a reluctant frown across his lips as he thrusts a dagger with White Oak ashes at the tip into her chest before she could turn away into the crossfire to be with Stefan, assumingly to never reappear again. That is if she ever made it out of that bar alive. He looked into her eye with sadness and regret as she gasped and the colour drained from her entire body. Caroline fled the parking lot before Niklaus discovered he was being watched by his ex-lover, but now she understood him. He was just a fugitive to his pursuer the same as she was his escaping fugitive. It was the night she returned to her hotel room, packed her bags and fled the city to a more reserved town this time. But more importantly, it was the night she compared her circumstances to the man whom she once loved dearly, but had left him in the night countless times. He was also the man who was not that different from her: a worried and frantic escapee beneath another pokerfaced and unreadable mask._

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia- 2010)**_

By the time Caroline wiped away another fallen, soundless tear from her cheek, she crossed over the border and into the familiarity of Mystic Falls. First thing was first, she parked outside of the nearest motel, paying for a temporary room as the thrill of possibly purchasing her own house hit her senses before she returned to her car in the parking lot to awaken Felix from his deep slumber.

"We're here, Felix." She whispered, shaking his shoulder.

His breathing hitched as he opened his eyes, sitting up while rubbing them. "Already? It feels like I've only slept for five minutes."

Caroline chuckled, silently. "Well, I've already booked us into a motel and you can sleep for the rest of the night in there."

Felix tiredly unbuckled his seatbelt and slid out of the passenger seat to stretch his arms above his head. "What about you?"

She handed him a spare key card to open their motel room. "I need a get a drink at my favourite bar, then I'll be back. I need to let it sink in and get reintroduced to this place again."

He nodded, understandingly before he closed the passenger door. "All right, I'll probably see you tomorrow than."

Caroline nodded, sheepishly. "Good night."

Felix pulled her unexpectedly into his arms, her face burrowing into his neck as his chin rested on top of her head. "I know you're not entirely thrilled of this new turn of events, Caroline, but I hope you'll thank me later for this."

"I will. It'll just take time to get use to everything all over again."

He released her from his arms, saluting to her out of mockery as he backed towards their motel room. She watched him disappear behind the door before she released a gust of air from her lungs, leaning her back against his truck to take a breather again. The feeling of returning of her ultimate home gave her chills of excitement and fulfillment, but fear and apprehensiveness at the same time. No matter how many times she left and returned to this town, the feeling would never change nor fade. It would forever be the roots of her beginning, centred around everything that happened to her and the people she met and grew to know to this very day.

During the journey of Caroline's absentminded stroll around and through the streets of the calm and sound asleep town, she found herself ending up in the doorway of the normally and peacefully crowded Mystic Bar and Grill. She smiled, taking in a deep breath of the familiarity of her surroundings before she made her way to the bar, sitting next to a drunken and slightly injured old friend of hers.

Without even looking at her, he took a sip of his endless glass of Bourbon. "Well, well. Look what the wind blew in. You're timing seems to be impeccable as always."

Caroline shrugged. "I'm glad to hear that you think so, Damon." She grabbed his glass out of his hand and finished his drink in one gulp.

At the sound of his name and her rude decision, he looked over at her and suspiciously eyed her from head to toe. "Hello Caroline." He stated, not exactly happy to see her just as he wasn't happy to see her when she first arrived in Mystic Falls months ago with Katherine.

But she ignored his emotionless tone, meeting his line of stare and smirked at him, mischievously. "Good evening."


	32. Chapter Thirty One

**live2write123: hey everyone! i know this has been a very late update but i hope it's to your liking! school has been very hectic this past month and a bit and i can actually admit that i've completely underestimated college. but luckily, reading week has given me the time to finally update! i'm sorry in advance if this chapter doesn't flow well together, i definitely wrote pieces of it on different days. but i hope it's what you've been waiting for! **

**ps. this chapter roughly covers Disturbing Behaviour with more scenes of Caroline, and less about Klaus and Stefan in Chicago. there's a flashback scene that happens immediately after Caroline is turned into a vampire with a somewhat shocking rescuer. **

**pss. thank you so much to everyone who STILL follows this story and to the new recent followers and favourites! you all are the reason that i sit down and express this story :). but pretty please review, alert, favourite, comment, and most importantly enjoy reading! :)**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Home Sweet Home**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

"Damon!" Caroline called after him as she followed him out of the Mystic Grill. Minutes before, he wordlessly stood up from his seat beside her while her drink was placed in front of her and stormed out of the bar before they could pick up where they left off five months ago. Friends. Very close friends, which was closer than either of the two have ever been in the hundred and fifty years that Caroline's know him. If he thought for one second that she'll just stand there and watch him walk away, ending this encounter on another bad note, he had another thing coming.

Suddenly, he spun around to face her in the middle of the vacant and inactive road. In his one hand he had a half-empty bottle of Bourbon that he compelled the bartender to hand over before he got up to leave, taking large gulps of the golden-brownish alcohol to accelerate his already-drunken-and-angered state. "What'd you want from me, Caroline?" He slightly slurred his words, throwing his arms in the air exasperatedly. "You left, without a goodbye might I add. Did you really think I would be all gung-ho that you've returned?"

"No. But I was hoping that you would 'forgive-and-forget' about it."

He leaned in towards her, the strong stench of alcohol on his breath as his eyes blazed with fury and passion. "Well, think again. You know me better than that. For five months, I woke up from that fatal werewolf bite and you were already gone. And to top that off, you haven't told anyone a word to where you went!"

"I'm sorry, Damon. I really didn't think it would have mattered if I left. In all honesty, I was living in one of your spare bedrooms for a few weeks. I never wanted my visit to last as long as it did, so I left. Everyone knew I wasn't supposed to stay that long, Damon. But I did, and I made the decision to leave before I got attached to this town, to everyone I've grown to love here, and the warm memories I've made that were finally worth remembering."

Damon took another swing of his Bourbon, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve before he waved his hand, dismissively. "You know what? I don't care anymore. Those are just empty words I refuse to believe. I don't even want to know why you're back or how long you're staying this time before you disappear noiselessly again. But as long as you I don't see you around here or talk to you anymore, we won't have a problem."

"I hope it doesn't resort to that. Did the alcohol give you memory loss, Damon? I'm older and stronger than you."

"Sure, but I'll go down fighting if I have to. And you and I both know that I won't stop until either you beat me up to death or I die trying to injure you. You want to hear me say it? You hurt me. A lot. But right now, I can't even stand the sight of you. You know, why don't you just leave town again? It's always been what you do best. Leaving town and everyone behind as if they meant _nothing _to you. As it turns out, I was one of those people you left behind and I suppose our friendship nothing to you as well."

"No, Damon, that's not the case. I-"

He raised his hand, palm facing her to signal her to stop. "I don't want to hear it. Just don't try and talk to me and stay out of my way from now on, Caroline. And like I said, we won't have a problem."

Caroline stood frozen in the middle of the street, concerning very little care that if a car ever suddenly crossed her path just now and hit her, while she helplessly watched Damon turn around and walk away from her. She listened to faded music and cheering pounding in the grill behind her, blending in with the dead silence she stood outside in the warm, late-August weather. After standing in the darkness, dim-lighted atmosphere, Caroline reluctantly and took her time to wander back to the motel where Felix was sleeping in.

She knew Damon would be mad, and she knew he would hold a grudge, maybe for a day or two. But something pierced deep into her heart. Maybe this time he wasn't going to be as forgiving as he has been in the past. Caroline then asked herself how many times she would have to betray or leave him for Damon to forgive her again? When will her luck run out? Was it her last chance tonight?

As Caroline quietly unlocked her motel room, she lightly closed it behind her to see Felix was fast asleep in the one bed in the middle of the room. Surrounded by the complete darkness, she found her suitcase across the room, next to the small bathroom and unreservedly got changed into her shorts and t-shirt before carefully sliding into bed next to Felix with his face and body positioned towards her. Within a minute of total silence, she felt his body shift slightly. "Caroline?" He whispered into the darkness. Although, it wasn't out of a dreary haze, it was a question which meant he was awake.

Caroline swallowed and licked her lips to moistened her voice. "Yeah?"

"Tell me what happened. Was he happy to see you again?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. You obviously don't know Damon Salvatore."

"Hmm, I've heard rumours about the vamp." He hummed thoughtfully. "I'm sure he'll come around, Care. Don't give up."

"Of course I won't." Caroline reassured, half-heartedly. "You, him and I know for a fact that I could never give up on something, or some_one_, that I want."

Felix chuckled, throatily and grasped onto her cold hand in between them and beneath the bed sheets. "Then, you should try again tomorrow."

She nodded. "I will."

"Good. Oh, and Caroline?"

"Yes, Felix?"

"Might I add that you always look stunning fully clothed, but you look even more exquisite what's beneath all that tedious layers of clothing."

Caroline gasped, swatting his bare shoulder playfully when it finally dawned on her of his night vision. "You pig. You saw me change my clothes just now?"

"I'm sorry, but if a gorgeous woman is going to strip in front of me and for only my eyes to see, I couldn't help myself."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you couldn't." Before she could utter another word, she curled her body into the fetal position and fell asleep with Felix's warm and calming arm wrapped around her narrow waist.

"Good night, Carebear." He whispered into her ear.

_**The following morning...**_

The next time Caroline opened her eyes, she was rudely awakened by the harsh late-morning sun after someone had pulled the curtains open. She lifted her head off of the pillow, squinting at the bright light to detect who it was. But who else would wake her up this way?

"Felix!" She muffled into her pillow, yanking the blankets above her head. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to wake your lazy ass up! Rise n' shine, sleepyhead! Get up!" He chanted, placing his steaming, Styrofoam of coffee and newspaper on the nightstand before he walked to the end of the bed and ripped the blankets off of her body. "Wow, this reminds me of how I used to wake up my little sister for her to go to school."

Caroline felt the sudden chill to her skin and missed the absent warmth of the blankets, she hugged her shoulders as she sat up from the mattress. "You'd better have coffee for me too, jerk, and an explanation."

Felix mocked a bow and handed her the second Styrofoam cup and sat at the end of the bed. "We have a busy day ahead of us." He confirmed, incompletely.

She waited for the rest. "And?"

"You're gonna look through that newspaper, find the houses for sale section and circle the available houses you'd like to go see within the next couple of days."

"While I'm doing this, what are _you_ going to do?"

Suddenly, his muscles slightly tensed and a hint of hesitation clouded his eyes. "I'm gonna have a little talk with this Damon fellow of yours."

She nearly spat out her coffee. "Oh, no you're not. Damon doesn't know you and whatever you plan on saying to him, it's not going to convince him otherwise to talk to me. And besides, I've betrayed him and never stated my farewells after he was recovering from a werewolf bite."

Felix reached out towards her and held her hand against the mattress. "If it were me, Caroline, would you do whatever it took to earn my trust and friendship again?"

"Of course, but Damon's never been one to forgive someone as easily as you would be. He's stubbornly pigheaded and vigorously impulsive and when he has his mind set on something, not one person in this world can change it. But what I've learnt about him was how fiercely loyal and selfless he is to his friends. I'm not his friend anymore, Felix. Maybe it's time to accept that."

He tilted an eyebrow at her. "After one try? That's not the Caroline we all love and know."

Caroline shrugged, nonchalantly. "Perhaps age is finally catching up to me."

"You can't give up, Care. We're already here and we didn't come here to simply visit the town. I want to help you start your first permanent life here, okay? Don't let me go back to Reidsville disappointed."

"Fine, but I will _not _let you leave this room in hopes to hunt down Damon by yourself. He'll kill you after your many attempts to drive his patience. We'll look at houses another day _together_. And today _we'll_ go find Damon."

Felix nodded with a broad smile, raising his coffee towards her. "To new beginnings."

She laughed, but lightly hit her coffee cup with his. "New beginnings." She mumbled, uncertainly.

After Caroline had circled five or six available houses that she liked, while stayed within her price range, Felix decided to call the realtors to book appointments for house viewings. Even though, over the centuries, Caroline had collected thousands and thousands of dollars, she never really wanted to buy or build a big house for the hell of it. She had no reason to. It was only her who would be living in the house, and no money in the world can buy the things that she has lived off of such us friendship and security.

When he booked the appointments within the next couple of days, they got dressed. Caroline pulled on a pair of denim shorts, a v-neck, skin-tight grey t-shirt, black flats and shrugged on her leather jacket while Felix wore an unbuttoned, flannel plaid shirt with a white wife beater underneath, dark denims and white sneakers. By the time they were dressed, Felix turned to her and asked how they were going to find Damon. Caroline simply laughed and told him Damon was always in the most predictable places.

But after their quick trip to the Grill, Caroline's eyes scanned the crowd to where Damon would normally be, leaning against the bar, flirting with some barmaid and drinking the oldest Bourbon they had. But he wasn't there, which meant he was at the Salvatore Boarding House, the closest building Caroline could and has ever considered her home.

As Caroline stood outside the door, she remembered how many times she's barged in and out of this house. She also remembered the time when she said her goodbyes to the doppelganger everyone is connected and so obsessed with in this town. But now that she was here, she no longer had the privilege and permission to just walk in without a proper knocking. Just as she was about to raised her fist to knock her knuckles on the door, she unintentionally heard the conversation from the inside.

_"What do you want, Katherine?"_ Damon asked into his cell phone, impatiently.

_"I'm homesick. What've I missed?"_ Her familiarly seductive and cunning voice to Caroline's ears.

_"Well, Stefan's still Klaus' little prisoner and Elena still thinks she can save him and no one's thought of you since you left."_

_"And what about you? I'm sure now that you've given up on your brother, you're plotting some sort of way of moving in on his girlfriend."_

_"I didn't give up on him."_ Damon stated, ignoring the last comment. _"I just don't know where the hell he is."_

_"Hmm, what a shame." _Katherine sighed, mockingly.

_"But you do. Are you trailing them?"_

_"A hybrid who wants me dead and his sidekick who's off the rails? I couldn't be further away."_

_"Which means you know exactly where they are."_

_"All I know is that Klaus pitched a fit once his hybrids didn't work. Now, he's looking for some answers."_

_"How'd you know that?"_

_"Spend five-hundred years running, and there will be a few people along the way that are looking out for you."_

_"Is that what your doing?"_ Damon calmly demanded. _"_Looking out_ for my brother?"_

_"Maybe, maybe not. I'm conflicted. But I'd watch my back if I were you. Klaus has recently gained a little more useful backup than just a former riper."_

_"What do you mean?"_

Katherine laughed. _"I can't give you all the answers, Damon. Where is the fun in that? I'll keep in touch."_

Before Damon could reply, she hung up the phone on him and he tossed his phone elsewhere as he refilled his drink. Caroline took this time to pull on the doorbell, waiting for Damon's deafening footsteps to approach her. When the door swung open, she looked up from the ground and looked into the stormy grey eyes of her former, surprisingly, best friend. Just as he was about to close the door on her, Felix's foot finally stopped it from closing completely.

"Who the hell is your boy toy, Caroline?" Damon seethed.

"His name's Felix Dawson, Damon. I've been staying with him for the past five months. And he's my friend. He can be trusted."

"Well, he's obviously not a vampire since his bigfoot is in the way of me slamming this door on your face. So, you're either a stupidly gutless human, or..."

"I'm a werewolf, smart ass." Felix muttered, impatiently.

"So that's what this stench is? Do you always smell this bad, even in your human state?"

"I'd be careful if I were you, leech. No one's around to save you if my lethal canines get anywhere near your cold, dead skin."

"You know, I don't respond to threats. But from brainless strangers, such as yourself, I respond to them in the most effective method." Damon pushed harder onto the door, putting more pressure on Felix's foot wedged in between to prevent it from closing. Seeing that neither stubborn boys were backing down, Caroline finally pushed the door against Damon, releasing it off of Felix's foot and off it's hinges, causing Damon to fly back off his feet and land on his bottom further down the front foyer. Caroline strode into the house, pointing accusingly down at him.

"I will not tolerate threats or injuries towards my friend, Damon Salvatore. You _will_ listen to me today and if you don't forgive me, I won't stop following you and attempting to reason with you until you hear what I have to say."

Damon grumbled a few curse words, jumping up from the ground and shooting Felix and Caroline daggers before relenting and marching away from them. Caroline and Felix eventually followed him into the living room, hoping for the best and sat down like civilized beings.

Caroline sat shamefully on the familiar leather couch next to Felix as if she was sent to the school's principal for doing something against the rules. Out of good and terribly reluctant manners, Damon squeezed a blood bag into a short glass before he handed it over to her and refilled his Bourbon glass. "Anything I can get you, wolf boy?" Damon gritted.

"A beer would be fine, thanks." Felix retorted.

Damon carried his drink in one hand and a cold beer in the other, offering Felix the bottle before taking a seat in the chair. "So, what is it that you wanna talk about?" He began after Caroline failed to speak up.

"I know you still want to save your brother, regardless of the enormous impossibility you have been facing."

"Caroline, I've spent the entire summer looking for him. And when I found them, Stefan was no longer the brother worth fighting for. The only reason I'm trying to find him and drag him back here is because Elena won't let me give up."

Caroline took a long gulp of her drink. "She has her reasons to keep fighting, but Damon, you have every right to fight for your brother's freedom. You've know Stefan longer than anyone else in this world. If anything, Stefan should return because of you. Sure, you've had your differences over the centuries, but you've always had each other's back. No matter what. _That's _the Damon I want to negotiate with."

"There's nothing left to negotiate here, Caroline. I don't trust you anymore. And when I lost my friendship with you, someone who I thought I could trust any time of any day, it's impossible to regain that fragile reliance in which you destroy."

"Get over yourself already! I left! So what? It's not like I joined forces with Klaus and the dark side. No, I left because there was nothing left for me here at the time."

"And what about now? Why have you come back if there was nothing left worth sticking around for?"

"I know Klaus and I know how he thinks. It won't be too long before he comes back to Mystic Falls and finds out that his doppelganger is alive. Everyone in this town kept her alive this entire time behind his back and he will not be glad about it. But I know how to kill him, Damon, before he ever lays one harmful hand on Elena, if and when he returns to this town, sooner rather than later."

Damon narrowed his eyes at her, suspiciously. "You're bluffing. You're just so desperate to get me to trust you again so we can be partners in this little war again. I was a fool to believe your so-called 'good intentions' the last time; it's not gonna happen."

Caroline finally reacted; shattering the empty glass in her hand from clutching onto it too hard. "Fine! Then be a damn dog, chasing its tail and never getting anywhere. I know more about this war more than you or anybody else in this world could ever know. I've been running from him for nine-hundred-years, for Pete's sake! You know what? I never wanted to hurt you as much as I clearly did. It was never my intention to stay in Mystic Falls for weeks when I did and I never meant to keep secrets from you. But the longer I stayed, the more my past started to become my present and I couldn't relive my past again. I've lived once, barely survived, and I will never live it again. Do you understand me? I care about you, Damon. More than the sympathetic, gentle, and golden boy, Stefan Salvatore that everybody, including your precious Elena, has been trying to mould you into. And that's not who you are. Nobody can accept, grasp and move on from that fact. You'll never be the hero that everybody wants you to be, now more than ever now do they want that to happen since Stefan has gone rogue and became the sidekick with the world's greatest supernatural enemy. I'm sorry for what I did to you, and that's all I can say."

By now, she had tears rimming her eyes and her voice broke at the end of her speech. Damon stared at her, speechlessly and shocked and Felix was busy stroking her back comfortingly. Finally, without taking his eyes off of her, Damon finished his drink in one last gulp and placed the empty glass on the table next to him.

"Can you give us a minute alone, wolf boy?" He asked, barely a whisper.

"Hell no." Felix snapped.

"Go, or I'll throw you out, preferably dismembered." Damon gritted.

He childishly crossed his arms over his chest. "Hit me with your best shot, parasite."

Caroline looked at the werewolf next to her with pleading eyes. "Please. It'll only be a minute, Felix."

Felix briefly stared at her in disbelief before reluctantly and visibly livid standing up and marching away with loud stomps against the floor. Everything fell more silent than before and Caroline continued to stare at the floor, her empty glass of blood, her lap, anything but Damon's piercing eyes gazing down at her.

"Caroline?" He nearly whispered.

"I know I can't make you trust me again or make you be my friend again, Damon. I have to prove it to you; that my return and my good intentions in the past were and are true. And damn it, it will be the last thing I do until you forgive me. I'm not leaving town ever again."

Damon finally reached out and shockingly grasped her hands into his with a firm grip that caused Caroline's breathing to hitch and her widened eyes finally looked up at his. "I believe you, Caroline. I know you'll do everything to silence and discard any doubts that are in my head right now. Don't let me down. My trust wavers with everyone around me at the moment."

"I won't. I won't ever betray you again. But what changed your mind?"

He released her hands, shrugging in his shoulders and leaning back into his chair while swallowing the last of his drink. "What can I say? You have always had a way with words."

Caroline smiled after he had winked at her. She felt as though the weight has been lifted off her shoulders, but the war they were in together against Klaus and Stefan was nowhere near to be finished. But right now, Caroline didn't have a worry in the world; she had her best friend back at her side.

After Damon left the room to fetch a new bottle of Bourbon from his collection, Felix re-entered the room with the same disapproving brooding look on his face as he silently returned to his seat next to her with a new beer in his hand. "Okay. Let it out. What's on your mind?"

"Nope, because apparently my presence doesn't matter, so my opinion shouldn't either."

"Oh, grow up. You sound like a child. Please understand that Damon didn't want an audience for five minutes so that he could forgive me."

"I understand that completely, Care. I just want you to be careful, okay?"

"I'm always careful, aren't I? I've made it this far and look how long I've lived."

He nodded. "I know that. But... I just get a bad vibe from him, that's all."

"That's Damon Salvatore. You'll learn quickly that he doesn't make the best decisions from time to time and when angered, his actions are unthinkably done based on his impulses. But he's still my friend. The closest person I've had as a genuine friend in a really long time."

Felix shook his head, unconvinced. "I still don't trust the guy."

"Please. Damon's rough around the edges, but I trust him with my life. Okay? I hope you can grow to trust him too. Just... don't try to step on his toes _too_ much."

He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest again. "If it makes you happy, I'll try to behave myself. But I can't make any promises."

Caroline smiled. "Thank you. That's all I ask."

Suddenly, Damon walked into the room with two new glasses of Bourbon and a cold beer under his arm before placing them all down on the table in front of them, looking down at Felix with a sigh. "All right, I think we got off on the wrong foot and if we're gonna work together, we might as well quit with the clichéd jabs at one another. Damon."

The werewolf stared at Damon's hand, his eyes glancing at Caroline from the corner of them before he stood up and grabbed the vampire's cold hand. "Felix."

Damon handed him the beer as both men returned to their seats. "Well, I'd say that if you are indeed a trusted ally of Caroline's, then we are all on the same page."

"Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Klaus, can you at least catch me up on what's going on around here? I can cut the tension with a knife around here." Caroline noted.

He waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Katherine called me a few days ago to tell me Klaus and Stefan were in Chicago, so Elena and I took a roadtrip there but came back empty-handed since we discovered the reason why Klaus's hybrids were turning was because Elena revived the sacrifice. When we came back, Alison's insane vampire hunter father Bill showed up in town because Mayor Lockwood called him to torture Alison in order to 'fix' her out of her vampirism until Liz and Tyler got her out. I tried to compel him multiple times to leave town, but his body rejects it due to the intake of daily vervain. Bonnie has been trying to find out the power behind the necklace Stefan gave to Elena and we have a hunch that it ties somehow into why Klaus's hybrids won't turn. And then last night some Council meeting took place, everyone kept on expecting me to be the better man and do what 'Stefan would do'. I retaliated, attacked Bill Young until Alison fought with me and I may have temporarily killed Alaric when he tried to stop me. He woke up today and stormed last night after the meeting, still pretty pissed."

"It's no wonder I heard strange things about this town." Felix whispered.

"Trust us, there is not one good moment left in this town to glorify nor remember." Caroline muttered before reaching out to Damon. "Apart from the reunions that I have made along the way. Those are the memories that will stay with me forever."

Damon smiled at her. "I couldn't agree more."

"So, what now?"

"We should wait. It's the best option right now. Care, is there anything that you think could really kill Klaus?""

She gasped in realization. "There is someone. Yes, there was a vampire hunter who has been entombed for the past twenty years. A Bennett witch named Abby had conserved him away due to the fact that he arrived in Mystic Falls in the late 1990s in search for the Petrova Doppelganger. I have not yet confirmed this tale, but his body may or may not still be there. I'm almost certain that he is."

Damon leaned forward in his seat, eyes widened with slight anticipation. "Who is it?"

"His name is Mikael. The vampire hunter who is the most powerful vampire and slays other vampires. I've heard of him back in the 1920s, although I have known of him for a thousand years, when Klaus was on the run from him."

"And what's his connection to Klaus? Why would this Mikael guy want to kill Klaus?"

"Mikael is Niklaus's father. The only one who had created the only weapon that can ultimately kill Niklaus."

"What is it?"

"A stake, but not any ordinary stake to kill a vampire. As we both know, an Original vampire can be placed in a deep sleep with a silver dagger dipped into the ashes of the White Oak tree. A typical wooden stake would temporarily kill an Original vampire, but a wooden _stake _made out of the White Oak tree can truly kill an Original vampire."

"And this Mikael guy has this weapon?"

"I'm certain he still does. He created it himself while he was still human before they burnt the tree down in his human village."

"Then, we've got to find Mikael, awaken him and lure Klaus to Mystic Falls." Felix suggested, eagerly.

"Easier said than done. Like Damon said, we should wait for the opportunity knock on our door before we decide to do anything rash."

"Yes, I agree. Let's wait for Klaus to actually show up in town before we take action. Care, do you know where Mikael's tomb is?"

Her body suddenly tensed. "I have an idea, but I've always been hesitant to essentially go see it for myself."

Felix nodded, understandingly. "I can see why. Given that he's an Original vampire _and _a vampire hunter that can supposedly kill Klaus, I wouldn't go anywhere near it."

Damon eyed Caroline carefully, examining and picking up on something else that Felix could not notice what was causing Caroline's body to tense with uncertainty and panic. "No. There's another reason why she's undecided to release Mikael from his tomb."

Caroline nervously bit her lip and avoided both of the men's eyes.

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_It had been three days since Caroline finished draining the dead bodies and after she had awakened from her blood-haze, she felt remorse and began to bury who was left of her human village. The village, the place she had once called home was burnt black to ash and Niklaus was nowhere to be seen. She could care less. To hell with him. Now, she had looked down at her daylight ring, the only object that was keeping her from erupting into smoke and flames. Caroline could no longer take this pain anymore, it was too difficult to look at the gravesite of her family and friends, their deaths most likely caused by her fangs._

_The curiousity of a painful death felt as though it was the only option to end this miserable life. The only reason she wanted to be a vampire was no longer there with her. She hasn't changed out of her human white wedding dress, now it had patches of brown mud and dark blood. Her hair was unkempt and knotted. Using her other hand, she slowly twisted off the blue diamonded ring and dropped it to the ground next to her dirtied bare feet. An irritable, growing, spreading burning sensation from her unsteady heart to the rest of her frozen body. It was the most uncomfortably inflaming sensation Caroline had ever felt, her skin quickly turning red and blistered with smoke radiating off of her body. Ever heightened survival instinct in her vampire body was telling her to run out of the direct sunlight and into the closest source of shelter beneath the trees. But instead, she began to verbally scream out her pain to avoid the voices chanting her head to get away._

_"Forgive me father, mother, friends and family! For I have betrayed you all, driven by my own egocentricity and desperation to escape my programmed and underestimated human life! For that, the path I have chosen has determined that I will not be seeing you in heaven with the angels! No, I will be burning in the afterlife where I deserve to be caged in. My afterlife is in Hell with the demons!"_

_Everything all happened so fast that she could not fully understand what had happened. All she knew, was that one minute she was seconds away from burning to death and then the next, she was pushed into the only building that had survived the inferno. Caroline huffed and panted for fresh air, already feeling her gradually skin and the everlasting life quickly healing her wounded state. By the time her perfect sight returned to her, instantly thinking it was Niklaus coming to her rescue but when she slowly opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar man with wavy, brownish-golden shoulder-length hair in his mid-forties was pinning her to the wall by her wrists. The stranger smiled curiously and playfully at her, a particular mischief that Caroline knew too well._

_"My, you are a young one. Not even a day old yet. Tell me, what is your name?"_

_"Caroline. My name is Caroline." She confessed, breathlessly._

_"Why do you meet the sun?" He asked, his cold and scolding voice contrasted with his expression and strange interest in Caroline._

_She avoided his eyes immediately. "You witnessed what I did to my human village outside. I killed and drained every last drop blood from their bodies. I am monster and I deserve to burn."_

_"You are quite mistaken, vampire. I am the one responsible who set this pitifully tragic little village to the flame. If you are to blame anyone for their suffering and deaths, blame me but do not kill yourself over my actions, little one."_

_Her eyes quickly returned to his and her jaw fell open as her body shook with remorse. "Why? Why did you kill them? They were innocent!"_

_"As were you. A human caught in the web of deceit and selfishness of a vampire. No worries, young one. I have so much to teach you and I will tell everything I know. I have chosen you to be my protégée, with the proper training alongside my knowledge and skills."_

_"Why?" She asked again, but for a different reason. "Why did you save me?"_

_"Simply because you are the first vampire outside of the Original vampire family to be created. I will damned to let you die. And besides, you have so much more potential as a vampire hunter than the chances of you becoming one as a human." He finally released her, handing her over her daylight ring before making a quick exit._

_But Caroline beat him to it, running into the open doorway to block his way while she felt the sun burning her exposed back. "I told you my name. What am I to call you, my rescuer and my family's murderer?"_

_He smiled down at her. "You may call me Mikael. And I am the beginning of our vampire race. With you, we will take revenge on the bastard that did this to you."_

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

When Caroline was brought back to the present, she examined at Damon's curious expression and Felix's worried expression while they waited for her to explain her suspicious connection to the Original vampire hunter. But she simply smiled reassuringly and shrugged the attention off by changing the subject. As the night began to crept into the room, the trio continued to make a plan, deciding on who should go awaken him and how to get there. Caroline eventually admitted that Mikael's last resting place was at the Pickett Mausoleum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Suddenly, the blur of a vampire rushed into the room, freely through the open doorway which meant that the vampire had already been invited inside. And Caroline could easily take a guess on who it was. But still, Caroline protectively stood up and in front of Felix, blocking anything that could hurt him while Damon's hands curled into fists and he stood next to her at the horrible sight in front of them.

A sinister chuckle suddenly escaped her lips, as she twirled Elena Gilbert's necklace. "Well, isn't this cute. Caroline and Damon working together again. The two of you are quite the pair, aren't you?"

"Katherine." Damon whispered, disappointedly.

Her smile widened. "I told you I'd keep in touch, Damon. Now, isn't it about time we track down and resurrect this almighty vampire hunter to finally kill our mutual enemy?"

Just then, Caroline's phone vibrated in her denim pocket. She pulled it out and her heart clenched at the unfamiliar but recognizable intimidator.

_Home sweet home, love. I must admit, I've missed you and this town terribly. I'll be seeing you very soon. - N.M_

**live2write123: guess who's back, back, back? back again, again, again. Klausy's back, back, back. ;) until next time, goodbye my lovelies! :D**


	33. Chapter Thirty Two

**live2write123: hello everyone! phew! that was the longest chapter i've ever written by far! (17+ pages on microsoft)! i'm really happy how this chapter turned out and i hope it satisfies your brain buds for the time being. :D i'm so sorry for the delay, but i need to be responsible and i cannot make this story a main priority before school (especially because it's my first year at college) anyway, i hope this meets your anticipation and expection.**

**ps. this chapter covers season 3, episode 5 "The Reckoning" but with a major twist at the end. i hope it'll leave you all on the edge of your seats wanting to read more!**

**pss. thank each and every one of you for the support. this story would have never made it this far without your amazing support! i love your feedback and it promotes me to update faster than these silly delays :D feel free to please review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy! enjoy :D!**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Turned Out So Evil**

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia- 2010)**_

Caroline's first reaction was to close out of the sudden and cryptic message from her former lover and shove her phone away, forgetting and ignoring the fact that _he _could be either days or hours away from Mystic Falls. But by the time she did get rid of her phone, everyone was staring at her.

"Who was that from, Caroline dear?" Katherine teased. "I didn't know you had any other friends other than Damon and his human pets."

She gritted her teeth. "No one worth mentioning, Katerina. And at least I have genuine friends without the need to compel them to be nice to me."

In a matter of seconds, Katherine distractedly had her attention on the werewolf behind Caroline. In the meantime, Caroline's eyes found Damon's and her lips very silently mouthed a name everyone knew oh so well in the past and present. _"Klaus."_

Damon's icy orbs widened, before clearly his throat to change the subject. "What exactly are you doing here, Katherine?" He asked, exasperated.

"And who is this dashing man?" Katherine asked, seductively with a cat-like expression to her face. "I haven't seen you around before."

Caroline stood more closer to Felix sitting on the couch behind her. "None of your business who he is, Katerina. It is not the point to why you are here right now. I'm assuming you pretended to be Elena by straightening your hair to swindle that necklace from Bonnie, correct?"

Katherine twirled a straightened lock of hair between her fingers. "Well, aren't you a smart one. Your speed and knowledge has never died away over the centuries."

"Answer us, Katherine. What are you doing here?"

"I want to release this Mikael guy from the tomb. Tonight."

"Don't tell me you _want _to lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls. Normally, you run for the hills even at the slightest humour of his whereabouts."

Katherine glared at Caroline's accurate offence, but Damon interjected before they we go at it. "If you want to awaken Mikael, Katherine, go ahead. No one is stopping you from doing it."

"You don't understand. This is more of a two-man job. And besides, all of the high school students are getting ready for some childish prank night. This is the perfect time to go together. And Caroline, your friend is more than welcome to tagalong." She winked at Felix.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at Katherine, seeing through her lies and desperate cover-up flirting. "I see what's really going on here. You're terrified to go by yourself, so you thought that since we all have one common desire to see Klaus dead, you thought you could just drop by and expect us to all be a team to awaken Mikael together. Think again, Katerina. I can read you like a book."

Damon turned to her with arms crossed over his chest. "Maybe we should consider this, Care. Like you said, and despite the chilling thought of ever working together with this untrustworthy frienemy, we all want the same thing: to kill Klaus in any way possible."

"Damon, may I speak to you for a minute?" Caroline asked, before shooting a glare in Katherine's direction. "Alone."

He jerked his head towards the kitchen behind him while Caroline looked down at Felix. "Feel free to bite her if she comes anywhere near you."

Felix nodded. "I will."

Katherine chuckled. "He can bite me all he wants."

"Unless you want to die a slow and painful death, I'd reconsider that suggestion." Felix snapped at her, which caused her to silence.

Caroline looked over at Katherine, "don't even think about touching him," she threatened on her way out of the room.

When she met Damon in the dim-lighted kitchen, Caroline handed over her cell phone with the text message opened. Normally, she wouldn't ever share her private conversations through instant messaging, but if she wanted Damon to fully trust her again, she had to be more honest about everything she knew than ever before.

"Okay, if he's really coming back tonight, Care. We need to speed up our plans to break Mikael out." Damon said after handing over her cell phone to her.

"But if he is, we can't leave everyone here to fend for themselves. They don't stand a chance against him, and when he finds out that Elena is actually alive, he'll be furious and that will only make matters worse."

"How about I go with the witch alone while you and Felix take care of everyone in the meantime?"

"Fine. I'll stay, but Felix can't. Now that Klaus knows what's the missing link from his puzzle and key to creating more hybrids, he's going to be desperate to turn any werewolf into a hybrid the first one he sees. I can't risk that happening to Felix too."

Damon groaned, distastefully. "Caroline..." He whined.

"Listen to me. You may not like him, but Felix has made a lot sacrifices while I stayed with him. He watched his entire werewolf pack bled out after Klaus's plan to turn them all into hybrids had failed. I can never forgive myself for letting that happen to him, nor can I rightfully take that memory away from him. In my book, compulsion is never ever the answer against one's will. So for as long as he lives, I'm going to prove to him that his decision to forgive me and continue our friendship together was the right choice."

He stared at her, almost in awe again as he took a step closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before pulling her into his chest with his chin on her forehead. "That's the Caroline who became my best friend. That's the Caroline that I want to see from now on, okay? Your sympathy and concern for people that you care about overwhelms me. For a nine-hundred-year-old vampire, I expected you to be as serious as Elijah or as impulsive as Klaus or as bitter as Katherine. But you never once turned off your humanity and I'm grateful that you didn't. Otherwise, you would've never made it this far and I wouldn't had made friends with such an amazing vampire."

Caroline smiled into his chest, slithering her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Damon." These were the moments that she adored the most. Not everyone was fortunate enough to hear and feel Damon's human, furtively sympathetic and genuine side to him. At moments like this, Caroline can see the Damon Salvatore he was as a human before Katherine ruined his life and ever since, he had walked down a dark, lonely, unloved, unwanted, and antihero path.

On their way out, Damon and Katherine were busy packing up Katherine's red Porsche Panamara with a cooler of chilled blood bags, two crossbows from Alaric and wooden stakes to deliver a temporary death just in case Mikael wasn't cooperative. Caroline sat on the porch with her back against them and Felix was busy fixing the door Caroline pushed off in a fit of a desperate attempt to reason with Damon. But now, it was her turn to reason with the werewolf after he was told he was going along with the two stranger and terribly unpredictable vampires.

"Are you going to talk to me about it?"

"What's there to talk about, Caroline? You've made a decision for me again and I'm just to smile and nod about it without my say in the decision? Think again."

"You know very well why I made that decision for you, Felix. We both don't want you to become a hybrid and we both know that Klaus would turn you into one the minute he saw you."

"Stop playing the hero, Caroline. I know you're trying to look out for me and all, but please don't. I'm a grown man and I've taken care of myself long before I met you. I can take care of myself now as well."

"This isn't the time to be stubborn and independent, Felix. You don't know Klaus like I do. I know how he acts and I know how he thinks. He will turn you into a hybrid now that he successfully knows how to. You'll be safer away from Mystic Falls until we can find a way to get Mikael here to kill him."

Felix finally stopped twisting the screwdriver to reapply the door hinges to the door and in the doorway to look at her. "And you're really gonna go through with this plan?"

Caroline snorted. "Of course I am.

"And you're not gonna crack under the pressure and guilt of setting up your ex-lover's death behind his back?"

"No, I'm not. I've been waiting for this day to come for centuries. What are you getting at, Felix?"

"I may have only known you for a couple of months, but I know how you act and how you think. You're extremely merciful and considerate heart can't help but forgive and forget the mistakes and betrayals that people have done to you. You always find the better in people and you forgive them no matter what they did. I know Klaus did a lot of bad things to you over the centuries, but you've had that many centuries to kill him yourself. Or hunt down Mikael to kill him for you in your place."

"Felix. This vampire-gone-hybrid has done horrifying and unforgettable problems for me. He is the eighty-percent reason why my human family and friends had perished a miserable and premature death. The other twenty-percent was because of me. I selfishly became a vampire to escape a miserable and nonnegotiable life that was already planned out for me. But nine-hundred-years have passed since then. The opportunities given me to kill him have come and gone because I flinched, like you said, looking for the good I once knew in him. I admit, I was naive back then. Nonetheless, I can guarantee you I will not flinch this time around."

Felix nodded. "Then, I'll go with them."

"Good. If Katerina tries to seduce you, you have my permission to bite her. And if Damon bullies you, I'll make sure to kick him around when you guys get back."

"Why would Katherine try to seduce me?"

"Because on the side of her worries, she looks for any opportunity for a good-looking guy to warm her bed whenever possible. Don't fall for her charms. Did you spike your coffee with vervain this morning?"

"Yeah I did."

Caroline shrugged. "You never know. Vampires can be very manipulative and desperate when they want to be."

"I've learnt that myself. I've always had a strong hatred for them. But Caroline, _most _vampires are manipulative and desperate. Not all." He smiles, kindly at her.

She returns the gesture. "I thank you for your compliment and I am grateful you see it that way, however I can be just as shrewd and sneaky when I want to be. It's in my vampire genes and instincts."

"At least you have never been that way to me. But tomorrow, we're looking at those two houses, aren't we?"

Caroline nodded. "Of course. There is no way I'm letting Klaus's early return to Mystic Falls change our plans."

Felix winked at her, finishing up the last bit of the door. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Caroline waved her friends and their mutual 'frienemy' goodbye before getting into Felix's truck, reversing out of the driveway and driving down the street to the school where Elena and her friends were busy planning and pranking a Senior Prank Night on the rest of the students and teachers the night before school would start. When Caroline walked into the darkened school through the back door and followed the sounds of distant chattering in one of the vacant classrooms, but she kept her distance behind a wall down the hallway as numerous mouse traps set off into the silence.

_"Oh, come on! Seriously?!" _The familiar perky redhead Alison exclaimed, frustrated. _"Do you know how long it took for us to set all of this up?!"_

_"Forgot about senior prank night, huh?" _The black-haired werewolf Tyler asked.

_"Clearly." _The blonde human Matt responded, out of breath.

_"How could you forget?" _Alison stated._ "We've only been waiting for this since like freshman year."_

_"Yeah, Matt." _The doppelganger Elena agreed._ "If I'm doing this, you're doing this."_

_"I'm kinda surprised any of you are doing this." _Matt admitted.

_"Alison's making us." _The Bennett witch Bonnie muttered.

Alison sighed, exasperatedly but remained to be optimistic._ "We're about to be seniors. Those are the memories that will stay with us forever, and if we don't..."_

_"And if we don't create these memories now, then what's the point of it all?" _Elena interjected, teasingly.

_"Go ahead and make fun, I don't care. I'm creating memories." _Alison stubbornly confirmed.

_"You're all lame and I've got ten more classrooms to prank." _Tyler admitted and eventually left the room.

From Caroline's wall that she was hiding behind, she could hear someone in that classroom hopping off from sitting on a desk, their footstep becoming closer to the doorway. "Hey!" Bonnie yelled after the person. "Where're you going?"

"To superglue Alaric's desk shut. I'm making memories." Elena explained.

"I love you!" Alison yelled after her as the doppelganger exited the room. Just as

Caroline listened for the sound of Elena's footsteps diminishing further away from her spot and down the hallway, she turned away to walk towards the gymnasium. But she barely got three steps away from the wall she was leaning against to hide behind, let alone a blink, before someone roughly shoved her body back into the wall and a large hand enveloped over her mouth. She didn't have to open her eyes to see who it was. The body pressed up against hers, pinning her there, set everything on fire, from internally and slowly surfacing externally.

"There's my girl." The thick, husky British-accent cooed into her ears as he whispered the words directly against one of her ears.

She shivered and her breathing hitched, turning her words into a slight stutter. "H-Hello Niklaus." Caroline stammered, slowly opening her eyes.

She felt him smile on the side of her face. "It's reassuring to know that my presence still lingers an effect on your body and nerves, Caroline." He whispered into her ear again.

Caroline scoffs, rolling her eyes. "The only thing you're presence does to me, Niklaus, it reminds me how many opportunities I've let slip away to kill you for good."

"How long are you going to keep lying to me, love? Better yet, how much longer are you going to continue to believe and come about more lies? We both know that we have never changed."

"I beg to differ. Every time I see you or hear you, the disgust and hatred I hold onto towards you only increases and expands on a daily basis."

"Well, perhaps the disappearances I frequently make and detachment between you and I is the problem. Perhaps I should stay in Mystic Falls and get you to eventually change your mind about me again. And we both know I have to power to do it."

"Oh, spare me the empty promises, Niklaus. Ever since you've broken your curse, your hybrids have become the most critical priority for you. And even before it was broken, breaking it was the only significant goal for you. I doubt even your own family could ever be more important than that, let alone myself, you selfish, destructive, arrogant, ruthless pain in my derriere."

At first, Caroline was determined he would back away from her with insults, hopefully putting appropriate space in between them so she could actually coherently think and speak. But he didn't budge, if anything his mischievous smile widened, revealing his two dimples one below each cheekbone and the hand that was cupped over her mouth earlier he placed it firmly wrapped around her hip bone, pressing his body further into hers while her back sunk into the lockers behind her. "And what a glorious derriere it is, love. I would hate to be the cause of discomfort to you." He directly whispered in her ear again.

"You're always my reason of discomfort, Niklaus. Now would you be the gentleman that you've never been and back off of me." Caroline gritted through her teeth, avoiding his eyes and ignoring his warm breath on the shell of her ear.

Suddenly he lowered his lips to her bare and exposed neck, lightly brushing the hollow spot where her neck and collarbone meet. "You lied to me." Klaus whispered.

Caroline's eyes fluttered at the tingling sensation. "What an accusation, Niklaus. What have I done to lie to you now?"

"You knew all along the doppelganger was still alive and yet you failed to inform me this when you had the opportunity to."

"I couldn't and wouldn't give you what you wanted on silver platter. Even you have to work for what you want, Niklaus. If maintaining essential information from you keeps my friends alive from your wrath and greed, then I'm going to keep whatever significant news from you. You're going to tie me up, torture it out of me, or kill me for it."

After she had spat out of the last sentence unintentionally like word-vomit, she instantly regretted it by the twinkle of utter awareness and deviousness in his captivating eyes. "What a tempting and captivating suggestion, Caroline love." He hummed, his lips feather-pecking her skin.

"I take it back." She worriedly hissed.

"Hmm, it's too late for that, darling. Just always remember that you are the one who implied this proposal into the other's head, not I. But tonight, I have a busy schedule ahead of me and I need to determine if my speculation is correct.."

In blink of an eye, he was gone and Caroline felt the weight was lifted off of her body. She felt as though she could finally breathe without him breathing down her neck. But this wasn't the time to be wasting minutes catching her breath and reminiscing of his warm hybrid body on hers. She had to be the hero tonight. If Klaus was here, that meant Stefan was here as well.

Following the echoing of familiar voices, Caroline walked into the dim-lighted gymnasium to see Klaus holding Elena by her arm roughly shoving her as he dragged her to keep up with his fast-walk-pace further into the room, which the floor was barely covered with white paper coffee cups, and the senior students were clearing out after Klaus put on a fake American accent to tell them that prank night was over and told them to go home.

"You've put a rather large kink in my plans, sweetheart. The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to make more hybrids. I haven't been able to that. Now my bet is that it has something to do with the fact that you're still breathing." Klaus explained, rapidly.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it." Elena whimpered.

He shook his head. "Not until I know I'm right. But I do have ways of making you suffer." Just then, he stopped pulling on her and dropped her in the middle of the floor with a loud clunk, Caroline used her vampire speed to run next to her and kneel beside the doppelganger with gentle arms.

"Caroline?" Elena asked, confused.

"It's going to be okay. Trust me." Caroline whispered.

"You two." Klaus randomly said to the last two people closest to him before they turned around and faced him. "Life your foot up, miss Dana." He compels the innocent girl and she helplessly obeys.

Klaus looks at the boy next to her and compels him a demand as well. "If she drops her foot, Chad, I want you to beat her to death. Understood?" The boy nods as if it wasn't the most unusual and inhuman order.

Elena stands up and Caroline stands next to her. "Don't, Niklaus." Caroline whispered.

"You don't have to hurt anybody." Elena insisted.

"Oh, come on, loves." He said, teasingly. "Of course I do."

As twenty minutes or so begin to pass, Caroline as well as everyone else in the empty room could see the dark-haired girl he called Dana was beginning to struggle, wobbling and shifting on her one foot on the ground. She whined, waving her arms on the side.

"Keep it up." Klaus commanded, threateningly.

"Where's Stefan? What did you do to him?" Elena insisted, stubbornly.

Klaus looked over his shoulder "Stefan's on a time out."

But Stefan was the least of Caroline's problems. She knew she had to take action some sort of action, keeping her eyes on the suffering human in front of her. Caroline walked past Klaus, purposely bumping shoulders with his as she did. He immediately uncrosses his arms, grabs onto her wrist and yanks her back to his side before she could reach Dana and help her. "Darling, what in the world was that for?" He asked.

"For being an ass, as usual." She gritted through her teeth, retrieving her wrist from his tightening hold in one forceful tug.

His lips tighten into a thin, tight and grave line. "Don't even think about what you deciding to do next. I'm warning you, do not interfere with my business, Caroline."

"I've always interfered with your business by making my business. Do you ever expect anything different from me? Remove your compulsion from them. I make the impulsively reckless decision to make it my business, but innocent humans have always been collateral damage. This doesn't involve innocent humans either."

With his narrowed eyes still burning into Caroline's fearless and determined ones, he removed the compulsion. "Dana, why don't you relax? You and Chad sit tight."

The girl Dana tiredly exhaled, dropping her suspended foot to the ground and falling into the kid, Chad's arms exhaustedly and they both sat on the ground together.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room shifts as Matt and Bonnie enter the gym. Elena tries to warn them to get out, but Klaus had already used his enhanced speed to run over to them in a blurry millisecond. "Ah, I was wondering when you'd show up. Now we an get started." Klaus began. "I assume you're the reason Elena's still walking around alive?"

"That's right." Bonnie admitted immediately. "If you want to blame someone, blame me."

He shook his head. "Oh, there's no need for blame, love. Just your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects. And since you caused the problem, I'm going to have you find the fix."

Just then, Tyler entered being held by the back of his neck and the other arm was pinned behind his back. Caroline froze in her spot once she realized who the little blonde bimbo was shoving the werewolf's defenceless body to where Klaus stood.

"Get off of me!" Tyler demanded, but the vampire of course ignored him.

"Hush now." The sweet, British-accented voice muttered just as she pushed Tyler into Klaus for the hybrid to catch.

"I'd all like you to meet my sister, Rebekah. Word of warning, she can be quite mean."

"Don't be an ass." She grumbled.

"Leave him alone!" Elena shouted.

"I'm going to make this very simple. Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It's quite horrible." Klaus's fangs bites into his wrist and forces Tyler to drink his blood while Klaus kept his eyes on the Bennett witch. "I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie. And for Tyler's sake, you better hurry." At that moment, he snaps Tyler's neck a hundred and eighty-degrees around in a temporarily chokehold and then lets his lifeless body fall to the ground with a loud thud while the four friends stare at him, gasping and utterly shocked as Klaus smiles, wickedly. And at this point, Caroline's purposes and lack of actions to prevent this from happening, she felt absolutely useless.

When Klaus and his sister walk off to the bleachers on the opposite wall of the massive gymnasium, Matt knelt beside his dead best friend. "He killed him." He whispered.

"No, Klaus's blood will turn him into a vampire." Elena explained, brief and breathlessly.

"And if Bonnie's successful, he'll live through transition. Go on, then. Go and fetch your grimoires, and enchantments and whatnot." Klaus used his vampire-speed to stand next to the doppelganger while he sister stood on the other side of her and held her by her arm. "I'll hold onto Elena, for safe-keeping."

Just as Matt and Bonnie turn to leave, Caroline looks at her with hopeful eyes from the bleachers she was lounging on. "I know you can do this, Bonnie. I won't let anything happen to her in your absence. I promise."

She nods. "Thank you."

"So this is the latest doppelganger." Caroline turns around to see Rebekah examining Elena with judging eyes. "The original one was much prettier."

"And you never had a doppelganger in a previous life to compare yourself to, so you will always remain hideously repulsive." Caroline muttered, loudly enough for anyone to hear while examining her ghastly chipped-nail polish.

Rebekah turns to Caroline with her hands on her hips. "_What_ did you just say to me?"

Caroline looked up from her nails and smiled. "I trust you heard me the first time. Idiot, Katerina and Elena have the same looks. But it's Elena's personality that makes her the better person. Or do you have White Oak Ash in your ears from being carted away in a casket for the past ninety-years?"

"You bitch. I ought to burn you at the stake a long time ago if you hadn't been my brother's little whore for the past nine-hundred-years."

She laughed, bravely and humorously. "I would like to see _that _happen."

Klaus was pinching the bridge of his nose, an imaginary migraine growing. "Enough, ladies. Quit your trivial squabbling. Sister, take the wolf elsewhere, would you?"

Rebekah glares at her brother, but ultimately stomps her way to Tyler's body, grabs his arms and drags it without any effort out the door. Klaus finally looks at Caroline in exasperation. "Was those insults really necessary, love?"

"Of course. I hate her, so I thought the best way to welcome her back to the world was to express the exact sentiments I sense towards her irritable existence."

"She has done nothing to you, Caroline. Why do you hate her so?"

"I also remember how she was attached to you in a related way, therefore I hate both of you equally. Because unlike you, I remember every little detail vividly. Especially the facade you and your siblings displayed for my naive human eyes to fall for."

_**Flashback (Viking Age - 1058)**_

_It was another beautifully peaceful day in the village and Caroline was busy grooming and washing her favourite horse in the pond where she first met the village's newest visitors. Niklaus. He was terribly handsome, the kind of handsomeness that was not entirely possible to see on a typical man of his age. The unique handsomeness that made every woman swoon over and every man challenged him out of envy. The handsomeness Caroline was already dreadfully and dangerously mesmerized with. _

_But earlier this morning, he had given her a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen before he went off with his brother to work. Not to mention expensive and rare. They were certainly not picked from the valley, contrasting to the flowers she was given from her former admirers that had grown up with her. No, these flowers the stranger had given her were individually cut at the stem, where wild flowers were pulled and picked with their dirtied roots still hanging from the stem. These flowers were perfectly and vibrantly in bloom while the wild flowers may have had half-eaten leaves from insects and some petals may have been withered._

_Caroline smiled to herself as her cheeks reddened, looking over her shoulder at the picnic basket and blanket beneath the tree. She decided to give her horse a relaxing day in the summer heat while she awaited for Niklaus to appear on his lunch break to eat with her. It was quickly becoming apart of her daily routine and Caroline couldn't help but admit that it was her most favourite part of her day._

_Suddenly, Caroline heard footsteps walking behind her in the summer breeze. She smiled, believing it was he who had come to eat with her. But the smile eventually faded when she looked up at the sun to see the blazing sun was not shining directly above her, which meant it was not their typical time to dine. Caroline spun around, terrified and scaring her horse to rear onto its hind legs before galloping in the opposite direction. But then Caroline laid her eyes on the beautiful woman with long straight blonde hair with flowers intertwined with her hair and wearing a purple tunic dress with a pink shawl around her arms and in between where her elbow meets._

_"Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you." The girl said._

_Caroline caught her breath before smiling at Niklaus's younger sister. "Rebekah! You scared the life out of me!"_

_Rebekah laughed, placing her hand over her heart in mock-apology while curtsying towards her friend. "I am gravely sorry, sister."_

_"Evidently you startled my horse more than I. Maybe if you fetch her, all will be well." Caroline said, dropping her horse brush in the bucket of water._

_Rebekah challengingly crossed her arms over her chest. "Not unless you come with me."_

_Caroline looked over the girl's shoulder at the waiting food and blanket, hesitant to agree, but before she could decline and explain, Rebekah beat her to it. "Do not fret. My brother has yet to finish his daily work."_

_"And you have?"_

_Rebekah nodded, proudly. "Yes, of course I have."_

_It was Caroline's turn to laugh. "It is a contest to you, is it not?"_

_"Indeed. Siblings and their competitiveness never ceases to amaze me."_

_She shook her head. "I do not expect any less."_

_"Good, now shall we go find your steed before she stampedes into the next village over?"_

_Caroline laughs, before nodding. "Yes, let's go."_

_Rebekah smiles, offering her hand which Caroline gladly took as they two giggled and skipped their way into the direction her horse disappeared from. Caroline always knew that Rebekah was the closest person she could ever truly call her sister. Rebekah has been her friend by fate, but she would always be her sister by choice._

_**Present Day (Mystic Falls, Virginia - 2010)**_

After Caroline had finished remembering the past with her former lover, Klaus fell silent and went to the opposite side of the room again to sulk on his own while Elena sat next to Dana, comforting the worried girl before. All of a sudden, the door echoed as Stefan slowly stepped through it. "Come to save your damsel, mate?" Klaus asked, emotionlessly.

Elena stood up. "Stefan..."

But Stefan ignored her, keeping his eyes on the hybrid. "I came to ask for your forgiveness. And pledge my loyalty."

"Well, you broke that pledge once already." Klaus muttered.

"Elena means nothing to me anymore." Stefan explained, giving the girl a sideway glance. "And whatever you ask of me, I will do."

"Fair enough." Klaus nodded while hopping down from the bleachers and walking to the middle of the floor. "Fair enough. Let's drink on it. Kill them." He gestured to the two humans next to Elena while they scurried to their feet. "What are you waiting for? Kill them."

Elena shook her head. "No, Stefan, don't. He's not going to hurt me. He already said-"

Before she could finish, Klaus had taken one step towards her to hit her cheek with the back of his hand, so hard that she twists in mid-air and falls to the ground. Stefan rushes over to him before Caroline could, his fangs are out just as Klaus catches him by his throat. "She means nothing to you?! Your lies just keep piling up." Klaus shouted.

"Let her go! I'll do whatever you want, you have my word!" Stefan begged, growlingly.

"Your word doesn't mean much to me. I lived by your word all summer, during which time I never had to resort to this..." His eyes suddenly dilate, beginning to compel Stefan. "Stop... fighting."

"Don't do this." Stefan whispered.

"I didn't want to. All I wanted was your allegiance. Now I'm going to have to take it."

"Don't... please."

But he continues anyway. "You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply... just... obey." Klaus lets Stefan go, his blank and expressionless face revealed as he looked at Klaus, voicelessly. "Now kill them... Ripper."

Stefan slowly vamps out, veins creasing down his cheeks and the whites of his eyes clouded with red as he smiles, cruelly and rushes over to Dana while drinking every last drop of her blood.

Klaus kneels down next to Elena as she appallingly watches her vampire boyfriend soullessly kill two humans. "It's always nice to see a vampire in his true element. The species has become such a broody lot."

She stubbornly shook her head. "No. You did this to him."

"I invited him to the party, sweetheart. He's the one dancing on the table." They both stood up as Stefan finished killing both of them, turning to them while he wipes his bloodied chin. The doors open and Rebekah once again comes stomping in with a mission. "Where is it?! Where is my necklace?" She demanded.

"What are you talking about?" He asks just as she gives him a phone.

Klaus shook his head. "Well, well. More lies."

"Where is it?" Rebekah demanded at Elena.

"I don't have it anymore." The doppelganger evenly says.

Rebekah suddenly vamps out. "You're lying!" She attacks Elena, drinking from her neck before Klaus stepped in to stop her.

"Knock it off!"

"Make her tell me where it is, Nik!" She yelled.

Klaus exhales, impatiently before eventually kneeling in front of a petrified Elena, her hand holding her open wound. "Where's the necklace, love? Be honest." He asked, calmly.

"I'm telling the truth. Katherine stole it." She whispered, frantically.

"Katerina. Of course. Well that's unfortunate. If we had the necklace, it would make things a whole lot easier for your witch. But since we're doing this the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?" Klaus walked over to the side of the room where it controls the game board for time in between games. "Twenty minutes. If Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then, I want you to feed again. Only this time, I want you to feed on Elena. You know you want to."

"No, Klaus! Don't do this to him!" Elena shouted.

Caroline growled. "Not if I can help it." Finally Caroline took her course of action, using her vampire speed while everyone was distracted by Stefan to grab Elena off the ground, carry her to the top of the bleachers while standing on the edge of the railing, perfectly balancing her body on the very narrow and impossible rod.

"Don't you dare, Caroline." Klaus seethed, his eyes had grown as wide as saucer dishes with utter shock and disbelief.

"You don't think I'll do it? You've done enough damage tonight, Niklaus. How about I throw your blood source off of this railing to her death. She'll shatter into a million pieces before anyone can reach her. There's a reason why you want her alive, isn't there, Niklaus? Do you need something specifically from her to give to your hybrids in order for them to complete the transition. Tell me I'm wrong. She should've died in your little sacrifice months ago, but she didn't so now you can make more hybrids with her warm, human, doppelganger blood. I can see right through you, Niklaus. I know your every trick and scheme. If you wanted her dead, she would've been dead the minute you saw her tonight."

"Put her down, Caroline. There's a good girl." He hissed, eyeing Caroline with death glares that could kill.

"Give me one good reason why I should."

An idea suddenly crossed Klaus's features. "You have mentioned how you must protect everyone in this town, correct? If I do not give Elena's blood to that werewolf waiting for me by the time he wakes up, he will surely die. You saw it for yourself, Caroline. You witnessed their terribly horrific and useless transformation without her blood, the key to their sanity."

Caroline's body froze. She couldn't let these people watch one of their friends, a close and dear friend who grew up with them since they were all children. "How much blood do you need?"

"I would like to assume only a little."

"Fine, but a little is all I'm letting you have."

Klaus's eyes twinkled mischievously as he began to slowly walk closer to the bleachers and up the stairs. "And if I refuse?"

Caroline nervously backed further into the wall, struggling to balance herself on the narrow bar. "T-Then I'll die trying."

Rebekah chuckled. "Sounds perfect to me, Nik."

"No, that is out of the question." He snapped, seriously over his shoulder before returning his playful stare to Caroline as he stalked closer to her. "Hand her over, Caroline." He asked in a more sinister manner.

"I don't believe your words, Niklaus, your empty promises. You'll abuse her human life to drain every last drop of her blood for your greedy needs before she dies a slow and miserable death."

"I will not ask you again." He hissed, his tone shifting like a light switch from playful to menacingly.

Before Caroline could react, she took her last step back which ultimately slipped off the bar and her body began to topple over the railing as Klaus yanked the doppelganger out of her arms and raced down the ground, around to the side where she was falling and caught her in his arms. She opened her eyes to see Klaus starring wildly into hers, his harsh breath warming her cheeks.

When Caroline finally caught her voice, she swallowed a lump further down her throat and licked the dryness off of her lips. "That was unnecessary and a waste of time. I would have survived that fall. Shattered into a million pieces, granted. Nevertheless there was no need for you to catch me, Niklaus. I didn't ask you to."

"You and I both know that, sweetheart. However let this be your first and only warning. Do not attempt to cross me again. My patience is quickly wearing thin tonight and I will not tolerate a temper tantrum from you again." He muttered, impossibly low. "Is that understood?"

She nodded, meekly. "Fine."

But Klaus doubted her words. After she had promised not to get involved, he decided to speed up his plan, giving Stefan only twenty minutes to withstand the urge and compulsion to feed on Elena, demanding him to fracture her spine if she dared to leave. Klaus still didn't trust Caroline in the room and so dragged her along with his sister to a science classroom where the normally bubbly Alison and a normally relaxed Tyler were both not themselves.

"Well the verdict's in." Klaus announced, walking in after his sister entered the room as he gripped Caroline's upper arm. "The Original witch says the doppelganger should be dead."

Rebekah's face lit up with excitement as she stood next to Alison. "Does that mean we can kill her?"

"No, I'm fairly certain it means the opposite." Klaus stated, calmly.

"What?" Alison whispered just as Rebekah grabbed her from behind and restricted her arms from interfering with her brother's plan.

"Call it a hunch." He showed the incoherent Tyler a glass test tube of Elena's blood. "Elena's blood, drink it."

Tyler eyed it and Klaus, suspiciously. "No! No, no, no, Tyler, don't." Alison begged.

"If he doesn't feed, he'll die anyway, love. Even ask the eyewitness behind me. She's seen what happens to werewolves in transition to becoming a hybrid. Quite horrible. A slow, painful and uncontrollable death. Consider this a science experiment." Klaus said. "It's okay." He whispered, directly to Tyler.

After Tyler reluctantly drank the blood, he collapsed on to the ground, rolling around in the shatter glass he knocked over on the way down as Klaus stared down at him with wide eyes of anticipation.

Somewhere through the chaos, Alison's helpless eyes met Caroline's tearful ones, silently begging her to do something to stop this. Alison knew she was the only one capable to do it, but Caroline stood firmly in the doorway of the room where Klaus put her, unable to budge and test Klaus's uncontrollable and impulsive rage once again. She knew she only had one get-of-jail-free-card, only one rebellious act to be forgiven by the almighty Hybrid. Caroline felt more tears fall as she opened her mouth to soundlessly whisper to the redhead across the room: _"I am so sorry."_ But apologies were meaninglessly empty in this situation. Caroline was ashamed, she couldn't stand to watch this sight as Tyler monstrously growled up at a kneeling Klaus with golden eyes and veins routing down towards his cheeks.

Klaus nodded with approval. "Now that's a good sign." He looked over his shoulder to reveal his positive facial features to Caroline, but her cupped hand was over her mouth as she sobbed more than Tyler's girlfriend did. He stood up, staring at her with confusion as she backed away from the room, turn around and ran away. Just as he ordered Rebekah to keep an eye on the two teenagers, he ran after Caroline.

"Not so fast." He said, pinning her by her wrists to the bulletin board in one of the maze-like hallways she ran through.

Her entire body thrashed in defiance. "Let me go!"

"I won't until you explain yourself. Why do you cry at sight my joy?"

"Niklaus, I may deliberately get involved with your plans every other decade or so, but this is different. I don't want part to do with your diabolical preparation to ruin people's lives. It isn't fair. Do you not understand? Your greatest joy tonight is my utmost sorrow. It just gives me another reason on a long list to why I have to kill you."

"I will be waiting for today. If I am to perish by one's hand, I hope will be yours." Just then, the screams of Stefan Salvatore echoed through the school. _"Elena, run! Go!" _ Klaus smirked. "Now that reminds me. I have to proceed my night's plans. I applaud your willpower just now with the werewolf boy, but need I remind you that if you get involved again, I will never make you forget it."

"There's no point in dramatically repeating yourself, Niklaus. I heard you first damn time. I'm not an adolescent human."

He smiled. "Good." And then he vanished like the wind in the direction of the scream and Caroline quickly followed him, going in the opposite direction to catch Elena before she ran into Klaus's dangerous arms. _Damn him and his selfishly evil plans. If I am going to stop this, I must do it now._

Caroline predicted what would happen next as she watched Elena run wildly through the school hallways and doors while Stefan ran after her, running into the lockers to prevent himself from catching up to her and draining her blood. Just-as Elena ran through another set of doors, she spun around to be gently pushed against the wall with Caroline's cupped hand over the doppelganger's mouth and her other hand had her index finger against her own pair of lips, signalling her to stay quiet.

"Elenaaaaaa." Klaus taunting voice cooed through the hallway. "Come out, come out wherever you are. You cannot run and you cannot hide from me. You might as well give up the fight."

When he had left to follow Stefan, Caroline removed her hands from their lips and stared into Elena's eyes, pleadingly. "Forgive me. Please forgive me, Elena. I never meant to startle you with my hastily selfish and desperate attempt to place another kink in his master plans. I couldn't let him win. I watched your friend Tyler become a hybrid and I felt powerless. I couldn't do anything to stop him."

"But aren't you going against your word right now?"

"Yes. I can try to stop him. But I cannot make any promises that I will be successful."

"Why are you helping me to begin with?"

"Because the man you love, the bloody thirsty beast that has reawakened inside of his naturally kind and gentle soul, is fighting everything he has to prevent himself from killing you. And I know, I can see it in your eyes, that you still love him for what he is and what he has done. Funny or not, that kind of love never dies. I envy you for that much. But between us girls, I have been in love with a monster since the time I was still human. Ever since then I have fought the need and desire to kill him or love him every day for the past nine-hundred-years. No matter what he is or what he did, I still love him. However luckily, Stefan Salvatore is a genuinely nice man. Everyday he strives to be a hero, to be the better man, to fight the urge of his former Ripper days and be the glue to keep everything together in your world, although this much effort wouldn't be because of himself; it would be for you. The difference between our tragic love stories is that Niklaus would never do that for me; he would never strive to be the hero, take control over his need for power and security and bloodlust, and he would never change because of what others thought of him or what others would think of me once they are told of our past together. Maybe I protect you because in the long run, I hope to see Stefan alive and happy. To see he had defeated his demons and that he was longer plagued by the bloodlust any more. And if keeping you safe and alive keeps him happy and a reason to exist and to fight, then I support him. In every way possible."

Suddenly, while Caroline finished explaining herself to the doppelganger, she heard the noise of wood snapping in half. "What was that?" Elena asked.

_"Now this is fascinating, I've never seen this before. The only thing stronger than your craving for blood is the love for that one girl. Why don't you turn it off?"_ Klaus casually asked Stefan.

_"No!" _Stefan growled again.

"I don't know, but I don't have a good feeling about it. I need to go and try to stop him."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, if you do, Stefan will surely drink your blood against his will and Klaus will never make it easy for him to oppose."

"I can't quit on him now, Caroline. He needs me now more than ever."

Caroline reluctantly nodded. "Then, I will do everything in my power to prevent him from worsening this predicament."

"Thank you."

"Whatever it takes. If I am to be injured or killed in the process, you run to find Bonnie. I'm sure she can protect you with a spell for the time being. I have called Damon to return here as fast as he can."

"Okay, I will."

"Promise me one thing?"

"Anything."

Caroline finished out a hand-written note out of her denim pocket and handed it to her. "You don't know him, but there's a man named Felix with Damon right now. Give this to him, just in case this goes bad for me. But when we walk in there, you hide behind me, is that understood?"

Elena nodded, taking the note and putting it away. "Agreed."

"Let's go." She led the way to where the conversation between Klaus and Stefan were being held, in the cafeteria where vending machines were lined up against the wall, circular tables were scattered around the room and then there was a janitor's cleaning supplies left out for the night, which Stefan had snapped the broomstick in half and attempted suicide by stabbing it into his midsection to end his agony.

"You're strong." Klaus said, gripping the broken broomstick that was barely stabbed inside Stefan to make a scratch to kill himself. "But you're not that strong, mate." He removed the stake and dropped it to the ground. "Come on. Your humanity is killing you. All the guilt must be exhausting. Turn it off."

Stefan snarled. "No!

Caroline entered the room with Elena walking closely behind her.

Klaus turned around with another pleasing smile on his face. "Ah, there she is. I was wondering where the lovely Elena had disappeared to. Thank you, Caroline love, for bringing her to me. You saved me the trouble of hunting her down."

"I gave you my word that I wouldn't get involved again, Niklaus. But when I vowed to refuse to let anything else go your way again, I meant it even more. You've got your solution to your silly little hybrid problem, now leave. Your stay has become greatly overdue tonight and frankly, I'm tired of standing back and watching you destroy their lives. This game is getting old. If you want your precious doppelganger, you'll have to go through me first."

"You don't want to do this, love. If you just hand the girl over, all will be forgiven and you can return to whatever life you have without me in it."

"I'd rather life another life of displeasure with you in it then let another innocent be manipulated or killed for your personal gain."

"Fine. Have it your way." Klaus spun around to face a visibly struggling and perspiring Stefan. "Turn... it... off." He whispered slowly.

Stefan's hooded eyes looked at a nervous Elena looking over Caroline's shoulder before returning his defiant eyes to Klaus, forcefully shoving his chest away. "No!"

Suddenly Klaus grew impatient and frustrated that he pushed Stefan against the wall, pinning him there and now his pupils dilated as he compelled Stefan to turn off his humanity switch. "Turn it off!" His voice boomed off the walls.

Gradually, Stefan stopped struggling and his breathing was now even. He was emotionless, everything that made Stefan humane and heroic was forcibly taken from him and his eyes. Caroline had witnessed her own greatest fear: that Klaus would become so furious and irritated and wearisome of her empty promises and temper tantrums that he would just take it all away from her. She suddenly acted out on impulse. Caroline left Elena as her shield, picking up the broken broomstick off the ground in the process and attempted to stab Klaus's heart through his back for a temporary death, but had barely missed it. He spun around, tossed her on top of the closest table as he removed the stake from his back before he hopped on top of her body before she could escape; his legs straddling her hips as he pinned both of her wrists in one hand above her hand and the other hand had the same stake she attempted to kill him with.

"I warned you what would happen if you crossed me again, Caroline." Niklaus growled, his hybrid features quickly surfacing and vanishing.

"Fine! Kill me for all I care, Niklaus. At least I will be rid of you." She wailed.

He chuckled, abruptly a seductive gleam his eyes as he lowered his face to be directly in front of hers and inches away from her lips. "We have been over this countless times, Caroline. If you are indeed on a suicide mission, then I will always refuse to be your Grim Reaper. But right now, I just cannot allow nor do I have patience for another rebellious outburst." Just then, he wrapped his lips over hers for a quick but overall, chilling and kiss, leaving Caroline's body to shiver and her mind buzzing as she felt herself falling into the depths of his deadly web once again. As his lips left hers, he slowly stabbed the stake into her stomach, nowhere near her heart and snapped her neck with both hands as her painful rasping wheeze died in the back of her throat and she felt her body shut down into a deep sleep.

The next time Caroline had opened her eyes she was in chains and handcuffs by her wrists and ankles, her body was laying next to the wall of the narrow back of a Freightliner delivery truck. Her eyes adjusted to the dim-lighted surroundings, the least bit of daylight creeping through whatever small opening she saw. She found five caskets in the far opposite corner, stored away to prevent from moving around the empty trailer. And then her eyes laid on Niklaus, who was sitting against the opposite wall across from her, his legs stretched out and one crossed over the other at his ankles in front of him with his one arm bent and resting on top of a blue and white cooler box next to him.

"Where are you taking me, Niklaus?" She groggily asked, her throat dry.

He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "It's about time we take a vacation together."

Caroline raised her shackled wrists with a clinking sound of her restraints. "Was this necessary?"

"I did not and will not trust you to be left alone in Mystic Falls in my absence so that you could ruin my plans again, Caroline."

"Where is Elena? Do not tell me you let your only blood source be drained by a compelled, emotionless Ripper."

"Of course not. I instructed him to keep an eye on her while I was gone. I put the doppelganger in a hospital to have her blood filled into bags until Damon arrived and only allowed me to take as much as I had taken."

"And what of your wretched sister? Surely she must have not been thrilled to be left behind by you."

"If I am to go off somewhere with you, my sister is the last person to accompany me. I would never hear the end of your endless bickering with her."

"Wait a minute. You would never just let Damon Salvatore casually interfere with your plans. You didn't let me, unquestionably you wouldn't tolerate his defiance either. Why stopped you from killing him and taking Elena with you for more blood?"

"Never mind that. That is beyond important right now." He said, dismissively.

Realization surprisingly quickly dawned on her features. "You know. You used your mind penetration while I was out cold to see if I was hiding anything recent from you and you found it, didn't you? You know the reason why Damon wasn't there to rescue Elena sooner than he should have. He was gone to awaken someone, the only person on this earth who can put you down. Or up in flames, is more appropriate and accurate phrase."

"Silence!" Klaus yelled, his words echoing.

"Did you really think I was going to tell you the truth? You never asked where everyone else was last night. All you cared about was turning Tyler Lockwood into a hybrid and making Stefan Salvatore's life a living hell he has no longer any control over. And now, I'm assuming we're going somewhere in a desperate attempt to track down more werewolves to turn into hybrids. You need protection and to be in charge of everything around you to have the upper hand now more then ever, isn't that right, Niklaus?"

Instead of another expected angry outburst to shut her up, a slow and wicked smiled crept onto Klaus's mouth as his miscievous eyes gleamed into her confident ones. "You know, you can read me like an open book, can't you? You figure out my plans and intentions before everyone else ever could. Even my own siblings never knew what I was truly deciding on doing behind their backs. However, you don't think I know you as much as you think you know me? That's where you are wrong, love. I knew you would act out again if I pushed your buttons so far that you could no longer help yourself from getting involved. But instead of leaving you to be reunited with your former teacher and join in on their plan to kill me, I took you with me so that you would be the first to see my successful hybrid army."

"And how is this supposed to effect me? Vampires naturally despise werewolves and their existence." Caroline snickered, nonchalantly.

"Correct, but the only reason you had gotten involved with my last werewolf pack attempt was because the pact was somehow connected to a dear friend of yours that you would be devastated to disappoint. When I abducted him that one night, I picked through his memories and it came to my knowledge that he had a werewolf family back at home from where he came from before he moved to Reidsville, a werewolf family that ultimately leads me to another werewolf pack."

Caroline's eyes widen with horror. _No. He wouldn't._

He chuckled, evilly. "By your expression, you've quickly connected the dots. To answer your undeclared question, Caroline, yes. We are off to New York. If I am die when I return to Mystic Falls, at least I'll be able to successfully do what I do best: ruin innocent lives."

**live2write123: i bet NONE of you were expecting that! ha ha! :D so Klaus is back and with a major bang. i think we all missed him, myself including. i wonder what will go down in the big apple with a steaming hot hybrid on a mission accompanied by his number one hostage. will Caroline get caught up by her on-again, off-again lover? or will she resist and deny it like she always tediously does? feel free to drop in a review or PM of what you predict! until next time my lovelies :D! **


	34. Chapter Thirty Three

**live2write123: hey everyone! sorry for the delay, it's been quite the month i'll tell you! i broke my wrist falling on the ice earlier this month, two hard nonstop weeks of assignments and presentations and finals! but luckily everything turned out A-Okay! thank you everyone for your patience and consideration! :)**

**ps. this chapter happens in new york since Klaus is absent in the next few episodes of season two. Caroline isn't so pleased to be here with him, but like we all Klaus and Klaroline lovers do: we end up forgiving him eventually. :3**

**pss. thanks to everyone who has favourited and followed this story! especially those who take the time to express their feelings towards each chapter! you are truly my motivation! :D anyway, onto the chapter: please feel free to please review, alert, favourite, comment, and enjoy! :D**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Slow Fire Burn**

_**Present Day (Manhattan, New York)**_

When Caroline had woken up for what felt like the billionth time, she felt herself in a different surrounding. In a bright, constricted and moving vehicle, she quickly sat up from laying across the backseat in a panic, briefly forgetting what happened before she fell asleep and then winced her eyes to focus on the driver. But then everything made sense. She groaned at the familiar chuckle from the driver's seat. "Finally you're awake, my sleeping beauty."

"Can you blame me? I haven't been temporarily killed any decade of late. I have no control over my conscious, nor do I know when my body suddenly wants to shut down."

"Well then, I might as well add that your delectable body has never been more punctual. We've just arrived in Manhattan."

Caroline rubbed her throbbing head due to the direct sunlight. "Manhattan? I thought we were going to Felix's family first to supposedly turn them all into hybrids?"

Klaus shook his head. "No, love. I can assure you that this is definitely not going to be a quick trip, in and out of New York."

"Only one can hope." She mumbled in the backseat.

He darted his eyes through the rear-view mirror, narrowing them at her. "As I was saying, this is a vacation. We're going to be here for a couple of days. Now since you're awake, why don't you join me up here in the front seat?"

"No. Why bother? It's not as if I'm going to suddenly enjoy a little undivided attention from you. You've done too much damage back in Mystic Falls. Some impulsive and selfish damages can never be forgiven nor fixed."

"Then we will never leave this place until you do. Look Caroline, you and I both know I will never change for the better. I immediately act selfishly on my impulses and decisions to please me for my own gain. I've always been this way, so do not sit there and expect anything different from me."

"Like I said," Caroline began as her eyes burned into his through the rear-view mirror, "only one can hope. I've never stopped hoping, Niklaus, that somewhere deep inside you, the loving and selfless human you once were is still there. But the more people you hurt and control and destroy, that helpless piece of hope I have slowly diminishes once again until there is nothing left."

Klaus silently returned his eyes to the road ahead of him, as he reached to turn the dimmed music a bit louder so that Caroline couldn't awaken one of the only sensations he feels: dishonour and shame.

By the time he had driven to the hotel, he parked his car in an underground parking lot before escorting her to the front of the luxurious hotels. During their silence within the car, Caroline decided to have a change of heart. He never preferred her to be scolding and judging him. He always favoured the amusing and flirtatious side of Caroline that they both know only he could stimulate inside her.

Caroline looked over at him with wide-eyes after a thorough examination on the outside of the building. "The St. Regis Hotel? Are you trying to impress me, by any chance, Niklaus?"

Suddenly a sly smirk returned to his lips as he turned to her. "Is it working?" He asked, teasingly.

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I don't know. It depends on what room you booked off for us."

"Why, it is the presidential suite, of course."

"Go big or go home. I like that. You've always been like that, Niklaus. Some things never change, do they?"

"No, most definitely not." Klaus offered his hand courteously with an inclined eyebrow. "Shall we, dear?"

Caroline took his hand without hesitation, which caused his eyes to widen the slightest before he took the lead and walked into the five-star hotel. A butler immediately offered to take up their bags to their room after they checked into the front desk, and even though it was only two suitcases and a suit bag on a hanger, they took graciously took it to his room, and when they were done and gone, Niklaus fell onto one of the cream-tan, antique-looking couches while Caroline remained in front of the closed door.

"Now, what would you like to do today, Caroline?"

Her eyebrows creased together in confusion as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Me? This is _your _vacation, Niklaus. I'm not the one making the decisions here."

"Can I ask you a question?"

She sighed. "You're going to ask me anyway."

"When was the last time you were in New York? Specifically, Manhattan."

Caroline felt paralysed. She knew exactly when, and by his playful and knowing smirk, so did he. But she feared to answer the question bluntly. Either she could lie and deal with the consequences, or beat around the bush until he dragged the answer out of her.

Her eyes fell to the ground at her feet and she shrugged her shoulders slightly. "A few decades ago."

His eyes narrowed at her vague answer. "Can you be more precise, love?"

"You know the answer, Niklaus." She snapped at him. "Why did you ask me a question when you already know the answer to it?"

Klaus leaned forward from laying down. "I want to hear it from you. You know exactly the answer as well, and yet you're covering it up with more questions and you're avoiding to answer the question I originally asked in general."

Caroline waved her hand in the air after she rolled her eyes. "It was sometime during the 40s. But let bygones be bygones, a lot has changed since then. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to explore this beautiful suite."

Before Caroline could turn away, Klaus had used his enhanced speed to jump up from his relaxed posture and raced over to her to corner her into the door with his hands on either side of her head.

"Stop eluding around the inevitable answer, Caroline and just answer it."

"It was 1945! There! Satisfied? Why does it concern you what year specifically?"

"Oh, no reason in particular, love. But let's not forget it was the year you went around city to city as the famous singer, Carolyn Foster. Quite the beauty you were in your singing days, sweetheart. But then again, it was also the year my dear brother decided to choose you, a trivial and untrustworthy vampire enemy, over his own brother."

"Trivial, huh? Is that what you categorize me as now? I'll have you know that I'm the first vampire ever to be created outside of the Original vampire Mikaelson family, the terribly dysfunctional family on its own. Even the mighty Sage could never take me on. Do not degrade me, Niklaus and I implore you to let go of your old and prolonged grudges before it completely absorbs whatever humanity you have left." She eyed him from head to toe, slowly before bravely meeting his eyes again. "And that's only if you even have any humanity left inside you after all of these centuries in the beginning."

Klaus slightly amused expression relaxed and altered to a more genuinely relaxed expression. His fingertips brushed against her forehead, down her temple and to cheek to slowly tuck a strand of a wavy blonde lock behind her ear. "As long as you exist in this world, Caroline. My humanity will forever and has always been burning fiercely stubbornly deep inside me, endangering my own existence as well your own. Never doubt the truth, love, or else I will repeat it as many times as I have to for you to believe me that you mean more to me then you think."

There was silence and Caroline never loved silence to begin with, especially where Klaus was in the same room as her with an unlimited amount of proximity in between them. After a few silences, he leaned forward with his eyes set on her lips, she instinctively closed her eyes immediately, blindly waiting for his lips to meet hers. But she suddenly heard him exhale through his nose rather impatiently harsh and shortly after felt the weight of his body pressed up against hers disappear. Caroline slowly opened her eyes to see his back turned towards her as he broke off the cork to his bottle of red wine and poured it into a fish-bowl-like glass.

Caroline wrapped a hand over her unsteady heart. "Niklaus?"

"Love, I do believe you need a few new outfits for the time being." He stated, abruptly changing the topic and atmosphere of the room.

"Fine. I'll be on my way right now."

"And with what money, love? I never would have guessed that shoplifting would interest you as it does to the human teenagers nowadays." Klaus muttered over his shoulder, amused.

"That is where you lose, Niklaus. I always bring my wallet with me no matter where I go." She said, patting herself down to find the bulge in her pockets, but her eyes went wide as saucer dishes when she watched Klaus turn around with his glass in one hand and her wallet in between the fingers of his other hand.

"Looking for something?" He took a sip of his wine with a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"Hand it over. I have enough money to spend on what I want. I have never shopped freely in the open of Manhattan and now that I'm here, I plan on doing just that."

"Need I remind you for the third time that this is a vacation. My schedule is cleared for now until we have to get into business. But for the time being, I have purchased two tickets to watch a show on Broadway tonight and we must shop appropriately."

Caroline gasped lightly. "Why would you do that? For as long as I could remember, Niklaus, you have always found broadways and operas quite tiresome and distasteful."

"Why, Caroline, you've remembered. However we are not going because of me. I know how much you've always wanted to see a Broadway show in New York, but never could because of my wrath."

It took her a minute or two to process this suspiciously generous act before she scoffed at him in disbelief and denial. "Considering I was taken here abrupt and against my will, I can manage on my own. I have for nine-hundred-years."

"Unlike you, love, I have been to hundreds of dull operas in my day. I know the suitable attire to wear to attend these special occasions. Allow me to accompany you. I must purchase my own outfit for tonight as well."

Caroline sighed, exasperatedly. "Fine. But if I want to leave, we leave. Understood?"

He finished the rest of his wine in open gulp before mocking a bow, "Crystal, my dear."

She rolled her eyes and outstretched her hand towards him. "Good. Can I have my wallet back, now?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that, love." He winked at her, walking towards his bedroom while Caroline's face reddened out of frustration.

After a long argument of convincing Klaus to wave down a taxi opposed to catching everyone's attention by driving a limo and a seven-minute drive to the Manhattan Mall, Caroline was in heaven. She had forgotten how dearly she loved shopping for clothes but had never found the time to do so with bliss and pleasure. Klaus decided to split up, handing over her wallet before he left, however threatened to kill one innocent person at a time in this massively big and busy mall if she didn't show up at the food court at 2pm sharp. Caroline groaned, as if she was human child attached to a leash by their overprotective and unnecessarily paranoid parent.

As Caroline looked through the racks of expensive dresses in one store, she tried on at least one of everything before finally picking on a skin-tight chocolate brown lace dress with one quarter-length sleeve of lace that reached her mid-thighs. At the same store, she also picked up on a gold metallic clutch. She went upstairs after deciding pick out a pair of matching heels, which she did when she found a pair of gold pumps to match the clutch. After she had walked out of the store, she glanced down at her watch, hoping that she had time to stop by one last store but to her dismay, her watch read it was quarter to two. She quickly found the closest map, her eyes searching for the food court and when she did, Caroline made her way through the crowd towards her destination.

Her eyes found Klaus sitting in one of the back booths of the food court, two bags sitting next to him as he eyes fell impatiently down to his wristwatch before searching around him for Caroline. He didn't see her until she was more than halfway to the table he was sitting at with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Caroline. How great to see you. I was beginning to contemplate on who I should kill first." Klaus said, amused.

"Drop it, Niklaus. I'm here now so there will not be any need for futile slaughter." She snapped.

"Granted. Now, why don't you show me what you bought to wear tonight?"

"Well, like you said, I've never been to a Broadway show before so I thought I'd wear something classy opposed to something I would wear everyday. You'll just have to wait until tonight."

"Excellent choice. I cannot wait to see. Shall we be going?"

"But I thought we were going to eat?"

His eyebrows twitched with excitement. "Well, we could if you like. But I doubt a cheeky brunette or a snippy redhead is on the menu."

"That's not what I meant, Niklaus."

"I thought so. But to answer your question, good heavens, no. I just wanted to pinpoint a place where to meet you after you were finished."

"Correction: I'm not finished. I have one last stop to make, but I'd prefer if you would wait here."

"Now, why on earth should I do that?"

Caroline coyly avoided his eyes, embarrassed. "Because it's personal and I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, Niklaus. I'll be back in ten minutes."

Klaus relaxed his posture and waved his hand dismissively "Go ahead. But no longer then ten minutes. I'm impatient, hungry and optimistic; any human here would suffice to extinguish my famine."

"Understood." Caroline grumbled, taking her bags with her in the direction of Victoria's Secret and glancing over her shoulders a few times to make sure Klaus wasn't going against his word. When Caroline returned with two pink bags, Klaus had her other bags in his hands as well as his own and she was shocked to see he hadn't budged from his seat. He gave her a look that told her that if she was ready to go, she nodded in response before she followed him out to their taxi waiting for them.

After Klaus had treated them out for lunch and took them back to the hotel, she couldn't believe how fast the time flew. She had a long bath in her soaker tub, wrapping her naked body in a hotel, white and fluffy bathrobe and towel-drying her hair. Caroline now stood in front of the body mirror in the corner of her room, holding up her new dress against her body just as Klaus entered her room with a black duffel bag in hand and without knocking.

Caroline snorted, turning around to quickly shove her dress back into the bag before he could see it. "Of course you would feel obligated to just walk into anyone's room without knocking on the door first."

He tossed the duffel bag onto the end of the bed and unzipped it. "I bought the room, love, which means it's my room, you're just temporarily staying in it and I can enter any room I wish without the need to be polite." He confirmed, rather bluntly.

She rolled her eyes. "Well what if I was changing, Niklaus?"

Suddenly a devious smirk stretched across his lips; his eyes intensely raking her body from head to toe and back up as if he was visually stripping her bare of the clothes she was wearing. "It's nothing I've not seen yet, love. I precisely remember your body beneath all of clothing, Caroline. Every endless curve, every juvenile scar from your vampire hunting training days, the softness of your skin, the taste, the smell. I also remember every time I would look deep into your eyes while I slowly and sensually removed every single piece of tedious layer between us before I would kiss every square inch of your exposed body t. There wouldn't be any need for withdrawal if you were."

Caroline stared at him, her hands eventually covered her chest as a shield out of worry and uncertainty. She knew that current look he was giving her all too well; the hungry and animalistic gleam in his smouldering eyes reflecting off of her presently innocent ones frightened her. They both knew he could strip her of her clothes in a blink of a human eye. But instead of giving into the suddenly and increasingly heated atmosphere, especially the fact that they were both in a bedroom but not that it mattered, she decided the change the topic by dropping her arms to her sides and nodded her head at the duffel bag beside him. "What's in the bag?"

Klaus blinked away the desire for intimacy in his eyes and turned to it to put his hand on the top of it. "I had one of my hybrids pack a few things for you while you were sleeping."

She crossed her arms over her chest; but this time not for a shield. Caroline was offended. "You mean during my temporary death which you killed me."

He raised a finger, wagging it in defiance. "Keyword, love, is 'temporary'. I would never permanently kill you."

Caroline harshly huffed out a breath of air out of disbelief. "I'm seriously doubting your words, Niklaus. You took me here against my will to help you turn a pack of werewolves, none the less it has be Felix's _family _caught in the crossfire."

"I would have taken you to Europe to search for a pack or two, but why cross the ocean when a werewolf pack is already ready for me conveniently a few hours away?"

"Just remember this, Niklaus. I'm not here because I wanted to come here with you, let alone I will never agree with your plans. I came here because _you _made me to. I'd never agreeably escort you to kill innocent humans."

"But if there were ordinary werewolves and you didn't have any excuse nor reason to defend them, you would let me have my way, wouldn't you? You have in the past. With Ray Sutton and his pack until your progressively more bothersome friend interfered and turned you against my original plans."

"That must be it. You cannot grasp the fact that I chose Felix's happiness, a natural enemy of mine that I've grown a friendship with for barely six months, over your happiness of creating more hybrids once you broke the curse and became one."

He suddenly marched over to her, a barely-controlled anger expression on his stone-cold and impassive face, until he was inches away from her. "If this is your way of accusing me of jealousy, then disregard the humour in it and understand this: I always thought that no matter how much you loathed me and your desire to kill me only grew for me, you would never willingly chose a brand new and trivial outsider over me. We've been through more than that werewolf has ever known, hell he wasn't even born yet. I thought that after everything we've been through, Caroline, the good and the bad: that nobody would in his entire world was worthy enough cloud our history. But it appears I'm very wrong and I send my greatest apologies for my lack of knowledge to where we stand."

Klaus ran out of the room using his vampire speed, leading Caroline to slightly gasp for air due to the close proximity moments before that had left her breathless. She almost hated when he was this straightforward with his thoughts; so deeply genuine that there was not one doubt of dishonesty in her mind to come up with nor process. His words echoed throughout her head until she physically shook her head to silence them and made her way over to the duffel bag to find her toothbrush, hairbrush, hairdryer, a few pair of everyday clothes including jeans and t-shirts, but couldn't find any undergarments or pyjamas, which she suddenly felt relieved to have bought new pairs of panties, bras and pyjamas before they left the mall.

Caroline pulled out to find what shocked her most: her curling iron and makeup bag. He must have specifically ordered his henchman to pick up everything based off of a list, excluding personal items that Klaus would strongly feel angered if a dirty hybrid went through her undergarment clothing. But she the last idea she would have thought was that he had put these two important items exclusively in his order.

After an hour of getting ready, Caroline looked into the body mirror once again. The brown lace dress complimenting her creamy pale skin tone, her legs smooth shaven and moisturized to glimmer off of the dim-lighted room. Her blond hair was curled and weaved into a side braid while her long bangs on both sides of her temple were French-braided into the side braid. She admired her chose of the outfit, especially under the pressure and the time limit she was given. Caroline randomly wondered if she might be as tall as and within eyelevel with Klaus in these heels. On her way out of the bedroom, she put her cell phone and room key into her clutch and strutted her way out into the open but empty living room.

"Niklaus?" She asked out into the silence without a response. But she managed to find a note taped to the door to leave in his familiar penmanship.

_Caroline, meet me out front and you must not complain our way of transportation._

She rolled her eyes, twisting the doorknob and walking out. When she reached the doors to the outside world of busy New York, she found Klaus standing at the foot of the red steps in grey dress shoes, tan dress pants with a light beige button-down shirt tucked into his pants and a matching tan buttoned-up suit vest on top. The sleeves were neatly and evenly folded up to just below his elbows and the first two buttons at the top of his dress shirt undone.

His eyes immediately met hers, his eyes taking in her outfit as well, but her eyes widened slightly out of worry when a small smile appeared on his lips. She looked down at her outfit. "What's wrong? Is it too fancy for a Broadway show?"

He shook his head. "No, love. You look perfect."

"Well if we are to speak in earnest, then I would say that you really do clean up nice as well, Niklaus."

Klaus chuckled, "thank you, sweetheart," and offered her his hand to help her down the steps. "Now shall we?"

Caroline nodded, trying to compose her eagerness in the first Broadway. "Yes." And this time, when he opened the back door to the limo for her, she slid into the backseat wordlessly with a pleased smile on her face.

When the show had ended almost three hours later, they returned to their hotel and Caroline could no longer contain her excitement and the aftermath of watching her first Broadway show, reminding herself to cross that off her endless bucket list back at home in Mystic Falls. Sometime during the show, Klaus looked over at her for the millionth time due to the lack of interest in the show and out of pure curiousity and witnessed the same expression had never left her face. He saw her happiness, the ultimate bliss that a simple Broadway show can bring to her. In that, he made him happy that he was the one to give this to her, even if it were the little things. She caught him once staring at her, reached out in between their seats and held his hand before mouthing a silent "_thank you_".

"May I ask you a question, love?" He asked after he offered to share a glass of wine with her out in the summer night breeze on the balcony outside his bedroom and she agreed.

She nodded. "Sure."

"Why does such an effortless show give you such vast joy?"

This time, she shook her head. "You wouldn't understand, Niklaus. I've always had a love for Broadway and opera. But even though I've lived nine-hundred years does not mean I had the time of day to stop and smell the beautiful roses around me. I'm ashamed to have admit that I've barely left the country, let alone Mystic Falls. It also drew me in, a magnetic force pulling me in regardless of my attempts to get away, I always come back to that dreadful town."

"I doubt that I have ever seen you so happy the way you were tonight, Caroline."

"You know, I don't I have either. I don't remember very happy moments in my existence; I barely remember the joys within my human life if there were any to begin with. But tonight was indeed a good night and I greatly appreciate it, Niklaus."

"The pleasure was all mine, love. Seeing you smile again was worth the while."

"Not only did you make one of my wishes come true tonight, you stayed and through your eyes, you watched the 'so-called' horrid show."

"It was dreadful, but like I said. It was worth it." He raised his second glass of red wine towards her as she smiled and lightly clinked hers together with his before they took a sip.

"So, what's on your big agenda for tomorrow?"

"Actually, you've motivated me to become your personal tour guide. Tomorrow _we _will spend the day sightseeing. Good, old fashioned, human sightseeing of Time Square, Liberty Island, The Brooklyn Bridge, et cetera."

"Really? You honestly don't have anything else you'd rather do or already planned tomorrow?"

"No, love. When will you understand that before we accomplish what we came here for, we have a few days to kill to do whatever on earth you want. No pun intended, love."

"I hope your right. Just because I'm currently your companion for the next couple of days, does not mean I'm going turn into your next Ripper drinking buddy."

"Not at all. I wouldn't even consider asking you that, Caroline, let alone process the idea. For now, tomorrow is all about you."

"Fine, but I have a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"I found an invitation to a fancy banquet reunion on the coffee table inside."

"Oh, yes. That. Well, there is no need to fret, love. In the morning, I plan on showing appreciation for the invite in a response note, but I must decline."

"Can I not ask why and who invited you to such an extravagant gathering?"

"The host of this party is named Ulysses. He's an old vampire from the early eleventh-century and in his human life, he was a prince of a small island off of the Caribbean that doesn't appear on most human maps because people have not considered it to be an island due to it's size. But in appearance, he's a very charming and welcoming vampire who respects the people presented in front of him, however he's never entirely trustworthy and no one can predict when he's going to next. One minute he's graciously offering you a drink, and then he's thinking of ways to kill you once you're alone with him."

Caroline tapped her chin, thoughtfully. "I wonder who that description sounds almost completely identical to."

"This isn't an appropriate time to be joking, Caroline. I'm serious. We will not be attending tomorrow night, and that's final." Klaus stated firmly. "And besides, you should never snoop through mail that is addressed to _me_. Remember the old saying? Curiousity killed the cat."

"Is that a threat?"

He shrugged. "A threat or a promise, whichever will get you to mind your own business."

"Well, the minute you stop making your business about me is the day I'll stop interfering. The only reason I continued to read what I saw because my name was on that invitation too. This Ulysses vampire obviously knows about me and requests an audience with me. He wants me to sing at his party tomorrow night and I'll be damned to rudely refuse him for no reason. I also refuse to let your empty threats get in the way of my decision-making." Caroline finished the rest of her wine in one swinging gulp before getting up to walk around him and into her room.

She angrily tossed her clutch and heels onto the bed as she walked to the body mirror and began to unwind her braided hair to find Klaus's reflection standing behind her in the doorway, no longer wearing the vest and the buttoned-down shirt was completely unbuttoned to reveal his chest and flat stomach.

"You're not going tomorrow night." He said in a strangled, hushed tone.

"Like hell I'm not. Since when had I sit around you and let you deliberately make the decisions for me? Never. And I am not starting now."

"You don't know what he's capable of, Caroline. He holds a lot of power in New York. He's made a lot of connections over the centuries to create this empire against outsiders. He's a unpredictable vampire that should never be trifled with, which is why _we're _not going tomorrow night. I've avoided this magnificent city since the 40s because it was his henchmen that I requested to hire to hunt you down and hand you over to me. But then my dear brother killed them all and their deaths were pinned onto me. He's going to interrogate me on my reasons to why I had returned to New York so suddenly and I've never been one to be fond of getting questioned by others younger and less superior to me."

"And what do you think he'll think when you make up some silly excuse not to go? Not going doesn't make you any less of a big bad wolf. In fact, it'll look like you're afraid of him if you refuse when in reality you're not. And if this is your way of confessing that you're troubled for my safety, keep it to yourself. I've been thrown into the ocean with bigger fish than he could ever imagine and I've made it out alive."

"And if I am to confirm what you speculate, Caroline, does it make it true? That I worry for your safety. Am I not allowed to concern whenever your safety and health is endangered because of my impulsive decisions?"

"No. You're not allowed to worry about my well-being because I've taken care of it since day one and I forbid you to start giving a damn now."

"That's just it. I never stopped giving a damn concerning you, love. You just have always been hell-bent on believing it isn't the truth in order to hide whatever lies you attempt to convince yourself to trust."

"Don't do this. If I had a choice towards my participation in this little trip, which I didn't, I wouldn't come here with you so you can have another opportunity to prove yourself to me, Niklaus. When are you going to notice that I don't care anymore?"

"I will believe when you truly mean it. You've never once meant a word of it, Caroline. I know you more than you think I do. Which is why we are not going tomorrow evening, end of discussion."

Caroline spun around from facing her mirror to be inches away from his face, unfazed by their close proximity as fire and determination burned in her eyes. "Watch me. I'm going tomorrow night, with or without you on my arm. And that's final." She tried to walk around him to open her bedroom door wider to emphasize that his presence was no longer needed. But with a mind of his own, he only grasped onto her wrist into a vice grip that would have normally shattered her wrist into pieces.

She stood her ground; trying to yank her arm away from his grip but the more she struggled against him, the tighter his grip worsened until he had both hands wrapped around both of her wrists and she was pinned to her once-tidily-made bed with him hovering above her and straddling her waist, pinning her wrists and body to the mattress.

"Let go of me!" She tossed and turned from this position, desperately attempting to wiggle out of it, to successfully toss him out of her room and lock the door behind him. But even if she did, let alone could find the power within to overthrow him, he would just break down the goddamn door.

"Not until you give your word that you will obey me and promise me that you will not go against my warning."

"Over my dead body I will! Now get the hell off of me!" She shouted, avoiding his eyes and the smaller space he was gradually closing in on.

Klaus quickly pinned her wrist into his other hand above her hand so that he could steady her thrashing head by grasping onto her chin to force her to look at him. "Stop fighting me, Caroline." He growled, his breath huffing against her cheeks. "You and I both know you could never overpower me."

"That's besides the point, Niklaus. I'll never stop fighting. I can't stop, not even if I could ever find the reason to want to stop fighting you. Just get off of me, go to bed and leave me the hell alone! This might be a vacation for you, but let me make myself perfectly clear: I'll be damned before I ever let myself enjoy being in your miserable company."

It happened out of nowhere, but Caroline expected it to occur somehow because of their close proximity. She remembered the feeling of his lips against hers, the constant warmth of his werewolf-gene radiating off of his body to set a comfortable burning sensation through her lips and pouring through the rest of her body. She refused to respond to him; to give him any hope, and worse any satisfaction that a simple kiss, _his_ kiss, could somehow be the ultimate solution to their incessant arguments and disagreements.

When a low growl erupted from his chest, she knew he was getting aggravated with her resistance against him. He decided to shift his lips elsewhere; traveling down her neck, over her collarbone, briefly kissing the curve of her bare shoulder before his lips continued to travel south until her tight dress was in the way of her chest. His dark and hooded looked up at hers and met her shamefully aroused eyes. He kept his eyes on hers as his hand slid down her bare arm to reach the zipper, slowly tugging that down until her dress was completely undone. He helped her one arm out of the sleeve and yanked the dress off her body and legs. Normally, with such urgency and animalistic instincts, he would have just torn the beautiful lace dress off of her body into shreds. But Klaus knew how much she would be squirming, _begging_ for him to pick up the pace because of his sensually and deliberately unhurried pace.

Before she could correct her wrongs, she wrapped her freed legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her until every inch of their skin were touching each other. This was the moment when he released her wrists from above her head, and instead of pushing his chest away and kicking him out of her room, she began to slowly unbutton his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. Secretly, Caroline adored the feeling of his rigid and warm skin beneath her fingers, which reminded her to do something before she completely gave herself away. Caroline lifted her head and wrapped her lips around his Adam's apple, catching him off guard enough for her to flip their positions so that she straddled his hips.

At first, brief surprise reflected from his eyes and Caroline smiled down at him triumphantly. "You were saying, _who_ could not overpower you, Niklaus?" She whispered directly next to his ear, blowing cold air in while undoing his belt and removing his pants.

"I have been greatly bewitched by a vixen. Forgive me for lack of focus. I appear to have a goddess taking the reins from me." He murmured into her golden locks.

Caroline ran her hands down the front of his broad chest and taut stomach, slowly and her eyes flickering in between his confused eyes and his scarred body from his human years, the endless and worsening abuse he received over the silliest of mistakes he had made as a young child to the young man he was before he and his family were turned into the first vampires. After everything that she had been through with this despicable being, she couldn't help but pity for that defenceless boy. The little human child that could never learn to love because he was never loved by anyone else his entire life; not even by his wretched mother. As a human herself, she always selfishly complained how her life was miserable under her mother's strict rules but never once had she dared to compare it to this man's dysfunctional human life because her worries were nothing in similarity to his.

"Caroline?" Klaus asked, calmly and inquisitively.

She shook her head out of her reverie. "Yes?"

He tucked a blonde curl behind her ear. "Love, I've seen that look in your eye before. Distant and upset. However tell me this instant, what has troubled you?"

"I don't pity you, Niklaus. Not after everything you've done. I can forgive you for what you've done, and yet I can never forget what you did. It would make everything less complicated and less bothersome if only I could either join your side entirely or forget your existence completely. I hate making myself vulnerable to you. Moment of weaknesses such as these gives you hope that I might choose you over my friends and over my need for retribution on my family's death and it isn't fair to either of us. I cannot continue to give you false hope, Niklaus. Not anymore. We haven't resolved our quarrel, using sex as an excuse and distraction to ignore it or deal with it later."

Suddenly, Klaus reversed their positions when he saw her pulling away from him, building walls around herself again in her eyes. He hiked her leg to wrap around his waist and then cupped his hand over her cheek, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. "If it were up to my decision, sweetheart, I would verdict that sexual interaction is the ideal concise pastime from the realism of our everyday lives. I deeply enjoy recognizing your every curve of your body with my touch, as if it is a long-awaited reunion. You cannot lay there and expect me to believe you despise this intimacy and proximity between us."

She immediately looked away, embarrassed.

Klaus beamed down at her and kissed her exposed neck. "It's quite all right love. You have the equivalent undeniable outcome on me as well."

**live2write123:... by the way i was going to end this on an anti-Klaroline scene but thought that i've tortured you so long with this delay, i had to end it on a good note! but anyway, until the next update, goodbye! :D **


	35. Chapter Thirty Four

**live2write123: hey everyone! Once again, I'm so sorry for the delay :(, I really didn't plan on keeping putting off this update until now. But here it is! And I don't know if it's just me, but this seems like it's taking longer than it needs to be and I can't believe I'm not even past the tenth episode of season two yet! So the updates can come quicker, but they might be a lot shorter and rushed but I don't want that at all so I'm just gonna stay positive and I'll write every chapter as fast and thorough as I can! :)**

**ps. So it's day two of Klaus and Caroline's vacation in New York and Caroline finally puts her foot down, but then she gets a quick reminder of who's boss in the presence of a ticking-time-bomb of a hybrid original ;). **

**pss. Once-again, thanks to everyone who has supported this story in any shape and form. I can't thank any of you enough. But please review, alert, favourite, comment, and most of all, enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Change Of Heart**

_**Present Day (Manhattan, New York)**_

When morning had arrived, Caroline woke up to the sound of summer birds tweeting to the morning sky. The first thing her eyes picked up on was her slightly bewildering current condition: lying alone and naked in her hotel bedroom. She didn't want to believe what her magnetic body to his betrayed her persistent mind the night before. But Caroline knew she could blame no one other than herself. Before he could return to wherever he disappeared to, she wrapped herself in a towel, stripping her bed sheets and any memory of the passionately repetitive love-making she was bewitched into before stepping into her private bathroom to wash away any memory of his fragrance, his touch, his kiss.

After a surprisingly successful and undisturbed shower, blow-drying her hair and getting dressed into a strapless blue-and-white summer dress with sandal wedges, she knew it was time to face the music. But in this case, the big bad wolf. Caroline exited her bedroom to find the devil himself lounging out on the couch with a glass of bourbon. His glacial eyes immediately found hers and she stood frozen in the doorway.

"Ah, Caroline!" He exclaimed, excitedly. "You're awake."

"Isn't it a little too early to be drinking, Niklaus?"

"Love, in my defence, it's officially ten after noon. And besides, I highly doubt I'm the only one in this room that has resorted to day-drinking."

"Unlike you and the elder Salvatore brother, I don't. I haven't routed my way out of a problem by drinking directly after I've woken up."

"Well, you've missed this morning, which is when I had returned the invitation to Ulysses along with my greatest apologies that we could not attend."

Caroline snorted, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "You mean _you_ couldn't attend. Just because of what happened last night, which will never happen again, doesn't mean you seduced me into changing my mind or making me forget."

"Oh, but sweetheart, if I recall correctly, never once had I heard you refuse me during our unforgettably passionate lovemaking. And the time after that. And the time after that. And the time-"

Caroline yelped, cupping her hands over her ears and shook her head, refusing to grasp the fact that in a moment of what she was convinced to categorize as 'weakness'. "No."

"You can deny it all you want love, but just remember one thing: it takes two individuals to exchange pleasurable intercourse."

"And if you compelled it out of me? To be your little sex slave toy for the night?"

"I'd hate to disappoint you, Caroline, but to be the most powerful creature to ever set foot on this earth, I can openly admit that compelling a partner to be obedient and composed isn't nearly as enjoyable as a more mischievous and rebellious partner."

"Well God forbid I ever question the wise words of the big bad hybrid. Let's face it, Niklaus, not even all my fingers and toes can keep count of the victims and women you've had to warm your bed sheets in the past. I refuse to continue to be one of those foolish young women."

"Caroline, if reassurance is what you seek out of me, than I will give you the most honest answer I could offer. Know this, my dear, none of them could ever compare to your exceptional abilities in bed."

"It's too late, Niklaus. Excluding the dark and endless past that we share together, I'm not interested anymore. I've come to the conclusion that instead of looking back and running back to you to take me to bed, I've decided to look forward and in search for new partners."

"And what other could possibly remove and replace me in your life? That werewolf friend of yours that you desperately wish to keep safe and away from me, especially now more than ever since I've broken my curse? The same werewolf's family that I am going to massacre and turn into my hybrids?"

A Cheshire smile slowly stretched across her lips. "Perhaps."

"I highly doubt he will ever forgive you for this, Caroline. Your participation and involvement towards this ambush will be simply unforgivable."

"Watch me, Niklaus. Let's both be one the same page here. I was kidnapped by you to come here and be little your wolf-bait in your desperate and frankly careless plan for more hybrids; a band of faithful warriors to be a shield against your father's reawakening and wrath. It appears to me that Felix may or not be to pleased in my involvement tomorrow evening, but at least he'll know the truth that I cannot overpower you alone. I know that now, however after your ruthless and despicable father awakens, I'll be free of you. And then, and only then, will I engage into a faithful and energetic intimate relationship with Felix for once in my entire existence."

Klaus downed the remainder of his drink, stood up to walked around the couch towards his liquor cabinet to refill his glass. "You know, love, your threats and schemes and empty promises against me have become quite repetitive. As well as your relentless motivation. The truth is I lack in faith that you fear that you want yourself to be happy with me. However it's just isn't an option for you. Maybe you've constantly recognized that you could never be entirely happy unless you are on my side, but you have always denied it. You have always acknowledged the fact that my death could never bring you absolute happiness and satisfaction to quench your need for revenge, and yet you continued to fight against me. Your human emotions have only heightened and I am truly convinced that the longer I am around you, the more you see of me of everyday that passes by, those human sensations you once felt only grows and expands like wildfire in a forest. Perhaps, just maybe, that anticipation for your ultimate happiness has recently questioned and possibly conquered your desire to kill me. And gradually, you fear that desire, the persistent reminder to kill me for all of the unforgivable tasks I've completed over the centuries, will eventually fade away utterly."

"Perhaps, however as if I would ever dare to let myself be happy for one minute, especially with you. My selfishness towards my need for happiness is what got me into this mess, this endlessly tiresome journey and obsession for retribution has consumed me long before I can even remember. In all honesty, I can never remain too close to you, Niklaus. It reminds me of what could have been with you if you had never left me behind to adjust and control this new lifestyle of mine on my own. And how easy and simple, but so immoral and unforgivable of me if I were ever to give into you. Sure, granted, I fall weak in the knees from time to time. But unfortunately for you, Niklaus, I will never relinquish and I will never surrender this war. You started it, and I sure as hell will finish it."

"It's only a matter of time, sweetheart. For centuries, we have never been in each other's lives for very long episodes given that you were always convinced I had a wanted need for your own head. However, that was never the case and the atmosphere has evidently changed of late and this is fortunately the greatest amount of days I have ever been presently in your life, Caroline. And whether you like it or not, I'm not going anywhere. But what has recently and repetitively baffles me is that you were always the runaway in every situation when our paths had crossed. Why do you not flee away from me?"

"Hear this, Niklaus Mikaelson, do not ever confuse or misjudge or presume my actions in the past. I have reconnected with former friends and befriended new ones along the way and I never planned on staying permanently until I found a reason to stay permanently. Must I remind you of what we both already know? For five hundred years, you constantly pursued me out of rage and hostility when I assisted and protected Katerina Petrova after she turned herself into a vampire, giving you five hundred more years to wait for the next doppelganger to come around and break your curse. Have you ever forgotten that? I admit, living everyday paranoid and every night restless was an endlessly predictable cycle. However, my mission to execute you would very much be easier to do so successfully. I too have recently wondered a change regarding your approach in my life. Why have you given up so easily on your vengeance towards me, while I refuse to forgive and forget mine on you? It never made sense to me. The ultimate monster of hatred and brutality that strives and exists on revenge, to inflict pain into his enemies and fear into the hearts of lesser brutes for loyalty while they desperately need his approval on behalf of acceptance and security."

A slow smirk grew across Klaus's lips before he finished the rest of his second drink and humorously turned towards her. "That's just merely one feature of what I admire most about you. You can read me like an open book more than anyone else ever could understand."

"I'm not asking you to play games and avoid questions, Niklaus. So return the favour and enlighten me. Why give up?"

He settled his empty glass next to him and began to stalk towards Caroline with suddenly grim look in his eye. "Like you said, neither did I have a reason to permanently reside in Mystic Falls until I found. Although unlike your objects to dwell and linger, I have my own intentions and motivations to remain in that tragic little town."

Caroline nearly shivered at the proximity, the dangerous zone where they both individuals are fully aware of the affect his nearness always does to her. "Spare me an explanation, that's all I need to know. We both know you're only here to naturally wreak havoc, inflict fear into my friends and destroy their lives apart. Now that you have solved with your hybrid problem, you have every reason to leave. So leave town and leave us alone already."

Just when she thought he would laugh her feeble demand off or change the subject to how 'enchanting' she looked in her summer dress, he didn't. This time, Klaus didn't even attempt to avoid her words. Instead, he listened to her and absorb her deepest desire which was for him to leave her life permanently. But even as a human, Caroline should have known better. He would never give up until she gave in, which he may have to wait another nine-hundred-plus years for. "When you understand and accept my true priorities, Caroline, then we can spat over when and if I decide to abandon you another time. But until then, I refuse to leave your side ever all over again. And if you dare to take off the way you have in the past, we both know I will only find you after you're exhaustion from running."

Caroline grunted loudly out of exasperation, finally shoved his chest away, temporarily palming the muscular chest to create some space between her him before storming off into her bedroom.

Now was the time Klaus to throw his head back laughing. "And where do you think you're going?"

"As far from you as possible." She seethed, opening her bedroom door and slamming it closed, locking it even though he'd just break it down. Caroline pressed her back against it, sliding to the ground until her knees were pressed to her chest. She needed to get away; even if it were only for a few hours. She couldn't breathe in another defeat and win over her archenemy. Not again.

After an hour had passed, Caroline ultimately stood up from the ground. She grabbed her denim jacket and black Wayfarer sunglasses on the way out of the room. As if she were a child out of bed past curfew, she unlocked the door slowly and winced at the deafening click. Her head poked out both ways and saw the room was empty, but with a note on the coffee table.

_Caroline, _

_ You must have fallen asleep. I have not heard you move in your room for quite some time, but unfortunately I do have unsafe business to attend to regarding preparations for tomorrow evening. You may take my credit cards and spend the money on one of the relaxations that this hotel offers. I will be back before five o'clock this evening to take you out to dinner. Until then, have a wonderful afternoon._

_ - Nik_

She scoffed at the note, two words in particular that irked her more than anything else. 'You may', as if he was giving her permission and rules to loyally follow. News flash, she didn't follow any rules and restrictions except for her own and she refuses to start now. Caroline smiled wickedly down at the three credit cards with three different pin codes in her hand and shoved them into her denim jacket pocket, proudly marching out of the hotel room and intolerably, out of the hotel building.

Through the streets of Manhattan around the largest shopping stores and Sax Fifth Avenue, she purchased a sleek, skin-tight, nude-color gown that highlights her every curve in her hourglass figure and her shapely thighs with a slight train, a boatneck neckline and a beaded cowl back to expose her bareback.

The cashier scanned the price tag and looked up from the machine. "All right, that'll be seven-hundred and fifty-two dollars. Debit?"

Caroline nodded, smilingly inserting the card and typing in the pin before accepting her packaged dress and exited the store.

Next, she took a cab to Tiffany & Co to buy new jewellery to go with her new gown. In the end, she picked out a platinum butterfly diamonded pendant necklace, a pair of teardrop-shaped diamond eighteen-karat white gold earrings, and a thin eighteen-kart white gold diamond bracelet with a daisy pendant. At the front desk, the cashier cashed in the expensive prices and looked up at Caroline.

"Your grand total is nine-thousand, six-hundred and fifty-dollars." Caroline handed him another credit card of Klaus's, typed in the pin and when the card was accepted, they packaged her extravagant jewellery and left the store.

Lastly, she stopped by Bloomingdales to find a pair of sandals for her dress and at the end of trying on different styles of shoes, she purchased baby pink, platform evening sandals with a small strap around her ankle and small diamonds along the bands. In-the-end, she spent a hundred and sixty dollars on the shoes and instead of going back to the hotel, she took her bags to Central Park and began walking around the beautiful greenery.

Within all the Klaus-drama that has been poisoning her world for quite some time now; she wished she could enjoy moments like these more often. The slight summer breeze tangling with her hair, the music of the birds chirping around her, the sound of distant chatters of loved ones while they take a horse-drawn carriage around the park. Deep down, Caroline wished she could have a loved one over her own to take her on a horse-drawn carriage, start up an entertaining and limitless conversation while they laugh over a bottle of bubbly. But she never had a love life, she never had the time for it. Let alone did she ever have the courage to return to Manhattan given that she feared she would run into the raging Hybrid himself and the time if she ever dared to come back, the benevolent and selfless Elijah Mikaelson would never be there to save her the second time for her carelessness. Oh, how she missed the only decent Original vampire dearly. Now more than ever as she thought of his endless supply of compassion and security he had always undoubting provided her. Along with the cherished and precious memories of her old friend, somehow brought tears to her eyes that made her want to sit down on a nearby park bench, looking out onto a pond that would freeze over in a few months.

As she reached up to her face, wiping away the falling tears using the pad of her thumb and somehow she didn't recognize that was no longer alone while fear and dread awoke her steady heart. But after she looked up, she didn't look into the eyes of a furious Hybrid. No, this man was completely different. And more importantly, unfamiliar. "My dear, for whom or what has triggered your emotions to shed tears?" His soft, slightly-accented voice of a foreign homeland. He had long wavy black hair that reached his shoulders but was slightly jelled-back multiple times with his fingers, golden-brown eyes, naturally tanned skin, defined cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a freshly shaven face. He wore a long bronzed trench coat that reached his knees, charcoal dress pants and shiny black dress shoes.

Caroline smiled the most convincing grin she could ever summon to this bizarrely polite and old-fashioned vampire. "No, it's nothing. Just reminiscing on wretched and unforgettable memories, that is all."

"Ah, than you must be Caroline Forbes, the vampire under Sir Niklaus Mikaelson's wing."

This caused her smile to vanish from her relaxed and happy-go-lucky expression. "How do you know who I am?"

"Must you ask? Surely, the great Hybrid has declared a thing or two of me."

"Of course. How can I not have assumed. You must be Ulysses, the ruler of the Manhattan Vampire region empire."

"He has spoken noble characteristics of me to you, I see. I am flattered to know Mr. Mikaelson speaks very highly of me."

_As if Niklaus could ever say anything nice about someone_. But instead of voicing her words and the truth behind Klaus's explanation towards why she could not attend this evening. "How can he not speak highly of you. From what I've gathered to hear, you are an honorable and respectful vampire."

"Why, thank you, my lady." He waved his hand at the empty space next to her on the bench. "May I sit?"

She nodded, scooting the opposite direction to give him more space as he unbuttoned his long tan trench coat and sat down next to her. "Can I ask how did you know how to find me?" Caroline asked after a moment of silence.

"Permit me; I have been following you around for this entire day until I could be alone with you and out of the eyes of humans."

"What could you want from me?"

"I needed to ask you. Surely you must have read my invitation to my banquet this evening through my invitation to Niklaus. He had declined, stating he had business to attend to and to why he returned to Manhattan after all these years however he never stated of what."

"If you are asking me to reveal his plans, I cannot. I will not anger his wrath and I refuse to deal with whatever consequences he has in store for me. I am already on thin ice with his wearing thin patience."

"My lady, I would never ask you of such dangerous matters. I will most definitely find out on my own. But I was intently thrilled by your return rather than his. When I had first heard of the rumours towards Caroline Forbes, the infamous and skilled hunter who has always defied and would rather die than to surrender to her creator's

demands, I was in-awe of your willpower and your strength to remain strong throughout his pursuit of you. He came to me and my services in 1945, perhaps you remember that time? When his terribly principled brother had slaughtered my henchmen to assist in your escape. But fear not, Caroline. I bear no grudges towards you; they are intolerably wearisome and endlessly agonizing. If it was me and I've become helplessly alone in a world under a madman's thumb, I would have undoubtedly fled his rage as well."

"I am glad to hear your understanding behind my escape and the collateral damage that I never did once expect to have at the time. But, Sir Ulysses, you have not mentioned your reason to why you had to follow me here."

"Oh yes, I have come to ask you personally your reason towards _your _decline to attending my party tonight."

"You see, I'm not here in Manhattan on my own accord. Niklaus had taken me to assist him and he wishes me to focus on important matters towards his diabolical plans. I deeply apologize if I had offended you, it's nothing personal. Believe me. I've always had adoration for parties and social gatherings where there is beautiful music, formal attire, great food and endless dancing."

His golden eyes left hers for a minute as they looked down at the three different bags before looking up at her again. "By the particular clothes and items you've purchased today, I have come to conclusion that you are defying against his rules and attending tonight anyway?"

A sly smirk slid across her lips. "But of course. Like you said. I am not nor will I ever be one to always resist and would rather die than to surrender to my creator's demands."

"Excellent, I was hoping you would treat my guests and I tonight with your beautiful voice during a few songs of your choice."

"It would be my honor, Ulysses. And thank you, for the invitation. It gives me a reason to escape and enjoy myself for the time being."

"Yes, of course. Would you prefer to accompany me back to my estate in order to avoid Niklaus's fury?"

"No, I appreciate this offer but I cannot drag you into my problems with him."

Ulysses shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, buttoning his jacket. "Perhaps this will lure him to the festivity at last. I have yet to enjoy a meal with him since his departure. And besides, the gathering does not start until three hours have passed. My sister will help you prepare for tonight. If Niklaus does show, I will make sure he does not harm you."

"If you can do such a thing, than it would be my pleasure."

He offered her his hand to help her up, which she had accepted and as they walked back to his limousine parked outside Central Park, he carried her bags for her despite her refusals and supported her inside the vehicle.

The minute Caroline followed Ulysses into his massive estate; she was startled after he was tackled into a bear hug by a small girl an inch or two taller than Caroline with the same black hair, caramel-tan skin tone, and golden-brown eyes as Ulysses. But her hair fell in silky and bouncy loose-curls down her back to her waist. She must have been utterly flawless with her definite hourglass-figure as a human, now as a vampire, her beauty and perfection was only magnified.

"Brother! How dare you leave me alone to prepare for _your _event for hours and without a word to where you were off to!" The young woman scolded, swatting one of his broad shoulders.

"I beg for your forgiveness, my darling sister. I ran into a guest who plans on attending tonight after initially declining the offer."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

Ulysses stepped aside and out of the way in between Caroline and his sister, her big eyes with long lashes fell onto the blonde. "Caroline, meet my sister, Acacia." He looked down at his sister. "Acacia, please have the pleasure introducing yourself to Miss Caroline Forbes."

"It cannot be. I have heard stories of you for as long as I could remember. For a long time, I've always believed you were a myth in our deceitful world. But it is true. You do exist."

Caroline nodded. "I am very sure I exist, Lady Acacia. It's my pleasure to meet you."

"That is my line, Lady Caroline!"

"I have a feeling you two ladies will really hit it off."

"Oh, my precious brother! I thoroughly plan on it."

"As do I, Lady Acacia. It is reassuring to know that there are still moral and humble vampires in this unpredictable world."

She reached out towards Caroline to offer her hand. "Come. We must get ready together for tonight. If you are to sing for us, you must look your best you can possibly be!"

"I agree and thank you for the hospitality." Caroline gladly took her hand and Acacia pulled her up the stairs and into her spaciously pink and girly bedroom.

For the first one and half hours, Caroline had a showered while servants pampered her by painting her nails, toenails, giving her a massage and facial before she slid on Acacia's short red silk kimono robe while Ulysses' darling sister took her turn showering in her marble and platinum bathroom. But just as Caroline had her hair blown-dried and curled and the stylists were about to manipulate it into a hairstyle, she heard distinctively yelling from the front foyer down below and she only expected the worse.

"_Where is she, Ulysses?!"_ the Hybrid's voice bellowed off the walls. _"I demand to know her whereabouts, even if I have to resort to burning your precious estate to the ground."_

"_Lord Niklaus, why the hostility? What you have failed to mention within your invitation decline that the Lady Caroline never said her consent. She wanted to go tonight and enjoy herself around her own kind, and yet you silenced her answer and overpowered it with your own verdict."_

"_She and I are in Manhattan for business and for business matters solely alone. We do not have the time to become distracted with distasteful and repetitive gatherings."_

"_Oh, Niklaus. How can you be so cruel? The lady wishes to celebrate and how dare you attempt to dictate and bully on her decisions."_

"_If you enjoy existing in this world, Ulysses, you will think twice next time before you speak to me and offer me unwanted and pointless advice on how I should act and say."_

"_Last time I checked, good Lord. You owed me a favour. Need I remind you of what happened oh-so-many years ago?"_

"_No, and I did not come her to repay you. I've come to collect Caroline."_

"_I'm sorry, Niklaus. But you may make and force demands under the roof of your hotel suite or under the sky of Mystic Falls, however you are in present of my roof and my home. You do not get what you want. Not today, Niklaus. Now, if you can be so kind and exit the way you entered. I would hate to send my men on you."_

"_Caroline! I know you can hear me. Come out here before I go inflict my rage onto the innocent humans of Manhattan!"_

Caroline looked over her shoulders, at the stylists with worried expressions on her face before she turned the doorknob and stood at the top of the grand staircase, looking down at Klaus who was surrounded and protected from getting anywhere near Ulysses.

"What a good girl. Now come, Caroline. My patience is wearing thin."

"I won't come with you. I meant what I said. You don't make the decisions for me, Niklaus. You never have and you never will. I'm not your pet, nor a faithful ally, and nor your obedient lover."

"I would not be so sure. When I returned to an empty hotel suite and my credit cards vacant, I called the bank earlier and they stated that over ten-thousand dollars has been spent."

"If I were to attend a formal evening, Niklaus, I needed appropriate attire and accessories. And I was furious at you, leaving to attend business and confining me to the hotel. Did you really think I would obey you? That you would come back to me sitting at the table with room service dinner ready to eat? Think again, Niklaus. Why wouldn't I buy the most expensive items in each store I went to?"

"Hand them over, you've had your fun. You're no better than my sister Rebekah, rage-shopping until there is nothing left in the damn stores and out of my pockets."

"She has every reason to lash out back at you, Niklaus. You've carried her around in wooden coffin for ninety years. Which makes me wonder and it baffles me to why she had helped her deceitful brother out on a rampage of my town, after eighty-eight years of nothing."

"Give me what is mine, Caroline."

She reached into her pocket and pulled the three cards out. "What your precious bank forgot to mention to you is that everything has been repaid. I've paid back and sent out every dollar that I owed you today. I'd rather not have a debt hanging over my head as some way to keep me on a short leash with you."

Klaus stood there speechless and his angry-expression slightly dropped as Ulysses rushed up the stairs, gently taking Klaus's credit cards from her hands and running back to his place a few feet in front of Klaus in the foyer. "Here, Niklaus. You have come for what you wanted, now please leave."

"And what makes you believe that perhaps this encounter has changed my invitation decision?"

"Of course, I pray you to change your decision, Niklaus. But if you lay one destructive hand on the Lady Caroline tonight, I will send my men on you. Unless she says the word, that she would rather leave with you opposed to staying here under my protection, than I will tell them off. You see, you have underestimated the Lady Caroline and taken her for granted; bullying your way into her life, threatening the human lives and friends around her to change her decision to obey you is despicable. If I had known you were after her sixty-five years ago and you were in needed of my services to help you catch her, I would never agree to such a thing. I truly admire the Lady Caroline for her courage and willpower against you."

"Tell me, Ulysses. When had you finally grown a backbone? Last time I was here in Manhattan and years before that since your dying mother begged me to turn her children, you've always been loyal to me, jumping at the chance to prove your loyalty to me."

"Not anymore. In your cowardly absence, I heard rumours and the history behind the Lady Caroline. In 1945, I thought she was just another disobedient, trouble-making lover of yours and I did not care whether you or my men killed her. But after her real name was revealed and behind the masquerade of a famous, traveling singer, I had a change of heart. From that day forward, I swore to myself that I would never harm her nor let anyone harm her under the skies of Manhattan."

"Know your place, Ulysses. I cannot emphasize that enough. Your henchmen and guards are vampires, which can be compelled by an Original vampire. I admit, you are an old vampire. But not as old as I. Listen well, Ulysses. Remember that the next time you declare your allegiance to another boldly in front of me, or speak very highly of Caroline in my presence, there will most definitely be a reckoning by my hand."

With one more heated glance towards a silent Caroline before turning his back towards her and walking out, she stood paralysed at the top of the staircase while Ulysses attempted to regain her awareness. But she continued to stare wide-eyed at the door Klaus had exited from, knowing what was wordlessly told to her through his menacing glare and with his husky and determined tone, she could hear him voicing his vow, as if he had stated it out loud rather than looking at her and telling her through his eyes. His voice and threat echoed throughout her head, repeating itself: "this is far from over, love."

**live2write123: 10 pages later, ta-da! A cliff hanger but fear not, fellow Klaroline shippers, I'm already working on the next chapter ;). Until then, good day for now! I love you all! :D**

**!READ IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!**

**So the main reason why this update has been so delayed is because I've been torn on my next decision towards Fanfiction. I hope to start up another story but I'm not sure if it should be another Klaroline story, strictly based off of my own imagination and not of the series, or a The Walking Dead story because these past few months, I've fallen under Cupid's arrow from a certain badass, cursing, cross-bowing redneck ;). Anyway, I BEG you to voice your opinion because I certainly canNOT make up my own decision :(. It'd be much appreciated and thanks again!**


	36. Chapter Thirty Five

**live2write123: hey everyone :) that's right, a new chapter for ya'll and it's a continuation of the last chapter. Just a shout out to ****the people who think I've been making this story lately kinda anti-Klaroline but that will never be the case! I love and fall more in love with Klaroline every time I see their faces on my television screen, I swear! Right now is just another down for their roller-coaster of a "complex" relationship :P.**

**ps. Here's some clarification to those who might be confused to where and when everything is happening, so I'm gonna break it down for you:**

** Chapter Thirty-Three: Day 1 in NY (Episode Smells like Teen Spirit)**

** Chapter Thirty-Four: Day 2 in NY (Ep Ghost World)**

** Chapter Thirty-Five: End of Day 2, beginning of Day 3 (Ep Ordinary People)**

**This means that by chapter thirty-six, Klaus and Caroline will have returned to Mystic Falls by then! I hope this helps :P I can only imagine how confusing this could be but in the series while Klaus is gone and everything is going swimmingly in Mystic Falls, this is what happening while Klaus and Caroline are MIA in Mystic Falls' bubble-world.**

**Pss. Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review and favourite this story! I love your responses to each chapter I update, even when you tolerate my lack of updating quickly :( but anyway, ****please review, alert, favourite, comment, and most of all, enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Better to Bend Then Break**

_**Present Day (Manhattan, New York)**_

After the party had begun and guests were starting to fill the ballroom, riding in fancy limousines or outdated horse-drawn carriages, Caroline remained in Acacia's noiseless bedroom, sitting on her window seat while watching the elegant guests in their formal attire being escorted to the door. She knew none of these vampires were older than she; no one was other than the Original family. But Klaus's voiceless threat restricted her from enjoying herself tonight. She was still dressed for the occasion; her long backless dress hugged her every curve, her high heels gave her body another inch to her natural height and her new jewelry sparkled magnificently even by the dimmed-candlelight. After Ulysses reassured her with security details for her protection tonight, he urged her to continue getting ready. The stylist curled her hair and pinned it back into a low, chignon bun only using bobby pins to keep her blonde locks in place.

Suddenly, she heard someone rushing inside without knocking and she already knew who it was Acacia, dressed in a long, brilliant red halter dress and matching pumps, her long black hair was curled loosely and pinned over to lie in front of one shoulder while her diamond-jewelry shimmered extravagantly.

"What are you doing up here, while the party is down there?" She demanded, pouting.

"As much as I've always adored attending evening gatherings, it's been a very long time since I've been to one out and in the open."

"You look beautiful, Caroline. I promise and my brother will not let anything happen to you tonight. The gallant but terribly charming Niklaus Mikaelson can most definitely slaughter a few dozens of vampires, but can he murder hundreds of Manhattan, under my brother's demands? I hope to never find out."

Caroline couldn't mistake the adoration in her voice while uttering his wretchedly infamous name. "Do you know Niklaus personally?"

"Why, yes. He and I were passionate lovers before and after he turned my brother and me into vampires. Over the years, he would visit Manhattan to regularly check on us as my brother's empire began to grow increasingly. And between us girls, let's just say his bed was never left cold under this roof and in my company. I was very loyal to him and he showered me with his charismatic words. But when he left for sixty-five years, I was heartbroken and I had to find a replacement. A girl has her needs, and vampire has more urgently desperate needs to fulfill. Maybe now that he has returned, I suppose I can welcome him into my bed once again. And besides, I find that reunion sex is one of the best forms of sexual intercourse."

"Well, I hope he fulfills your recent needs and you quench his. But can you give me one more minute? I will be down soon enough."

She nodded. "Of course, I'll let brother know so he doesn't have to worry anymore. After every time he would smile and shake hands with each guest, he would glance hopefully up at the staircase every now and then as if you would be magically walking down it."

"Thank you, Acacia."

"Not a problem. I'll see you soon, okay? Don't keep the amiable and available men down there waiting too long." Acacia winked before opening and closing the door behind her.

Caroline turned to face the window again, looking up at the late-summer sky and lingered processing the beautiful Acacia's past with the enigmatic Klaus. _Of course he had has his way with her in the past. Why wouldn't he? It's not as if I've been the only bed partner he's been with for the past nine-hundred years. So why do I feel so appallingly betrayed? _She thought to herself before Klaus's words of promise returned to her mind. _"Know this, my dear, none of them could ever compare to your exceptional abilities in bed."_

She rolled her eyes, standing up from the window seat, running her hands down the satin silk dress and diminishing any feelings of betrayal. _This was to be expected_, Caroline reassured herself, _he's pleased every woman he's been with the same pack of lies he told her earlier today._

Caroline took in a long, deep breath before slowly walking down the staircase steps, hiking up the front of her dress so that she wouldn't trip. Barely three steps down, all eyes were on her. Everyone stopped their separate conversations and looked at her in awe with a few whispers murmuring among the vast crowd. Ulysses was pampered and outfitted in a dashing formal black suit and bowtie, his hair loosely slicked back with his natural-stubble trimmed professionally, met her at the bottom of the stairs and held out his hand. She smiled and accepted it.

"My honourable guests, thank you all for joining me tonight and enjoy your night wholeheartedly. Allow me to introduce you, the Lady Caroline." Ulysses announced as everyone applauded at the infamous name before they all started walking towards the ballroom's open doors. Before Caroline could slip away, Ulysses pulled her in close to him, enough for her to have her chest lightly pressed up against his. "You are the most beautiful woman in the room tonight, sweet Caroline." He whispered directly into her ear.

She tried to hide her embarrassment, but the light dust of reddening across her cheekbones gave her away. "T-Thank you, Ulysses."

He nodded, offering him his arm to her, which she linked hers through and he escorted her into the marvellous ballroom. Its floors were polished marble and a grand chandelier hung from its domed ceiling. Everything was bright, polished, expensive and Victorian. A smaller stage was across from the doors with tall red curtains. To the left was a long bar that served drinks and appetizers. To the right was the orchestra that played old-fashioned music and a small seating area beside it with refreshment tables. As waiters dressed in formal suits and trays of serving flutes, the guests that flooded the room were either dressed in long ball gowns and formal black suits, conversing and laughing over the violin music with flutes of expensive champagne with small doses of human blood.

"May I offer you a drink, my lady?" Ulysses asked.

Caroline smiled, weakly. "A drink sounds lovely."

"I will be back shortly."

When Caroline was left alone, she admired the loving and adoring couples dancing to the beautiful music. Most of these vampires have had spent centuries with their partners and she deeply envied that. Within the crowd, she could've sworn that she caught a glance of Niklaus Mikaelson, dressed in a dark grey suit, a white dress shirt beneath and a black tie and matching dress shoes, smirking dangerously at her. But after she blinked a few more times, he disappeared.

_He's here. Niklaus is here._ Her panicked conscious warned her._ Get out before he gets you. Run and don't look back!_

Caroline picked up her dress and spun around with the intention of leaving this mansion, out of New York and some place where Klaus could never find her. But before she could flee, Ulysses returned with two flute-glasses of blood-champagne.

"Caroline, whatever is it the matter? Has someone startled you?" His worried voice asked frantically.

She shook her head, swallowing her fear and steading her breathing. "No, it's nothing. I'm fine." Caroline took the flute offered to her after he smiled reassured and handed it to her.

"Do not fret, Lady Caroline. You are under my protection. No one is ever going to hurt you under my watchful eye, understood?" He promised her.

Caroline beamed a convincing smile, nodding her head. "Yes, understood."

As the night continued, Ulysses disappeared and returned to Caroline every now and then after he would dance with another woman or he would converse with the gentlemen in the room. When she was alone, she watched as Acacia approached her with two men on her arms.

"Already on the prowl, are you Acacia?"

"Of course. Niklaus has not yet to be seen, and like I said, a girl has needs. Will you not join me, dear Caroline?"

"I'm fine for now, but thank you."

She shrugged, nonchalantly. "Oh well, more for me."

Caroline chuckled. "Enjoy yourself tonight, good men. You are in the presence of the gorgeously talented Acacia."

Acacia nodded approvingly before taking her two victims with her. A familiar song of Lionel Richie's "Hello" began to play in the background. Guest began to take their loved ones by the hand, leaving their stations to join the waltzing couples in the middle of the dance floor while Caroline decided to watch them; she walked to a nearby cushioned chair and sat down. Nearly everyone was paired up and waltzing together around in circles, except her.

Her eyes were locked on the loving couples dancing until Ulysses stood in front of her and offered her his hand for the second time this night. She looked up with him and he smiled down at her. "May I have this dance, Lady Caroline?" He asked, formally.

Caroline slid her hand into his and helped herself to stand. "You may, Lord Ulysses."

Surprisingly, she felt undeniably safe and protected in his rigid arms as he twirled her around the middle of the floor. His waltzing stance and abilities were perfected over the years, she felt inexperienced and naïve. But his smoldering eyes never once left hers, smiling down at her warmly the entire song. After it was over, he reluctantly released her and bowed while she curtsied.

"Would you give us the honor of listening to your voice, Caroline? Any song of your choice." He asked.

"It would be my pleasure."

Ulysses smiled, grabbing her hand and leading her up the steps to the stage. He stood in front of the microphone as the orchestra was silenced and everyone was facing the stage. "Pardon me for the interruption; I hope you are all having a wonderful Halloween. As you all know, I have grown a habit of hiring a performer for the holiday masquerade balls I host. But tonight, we have a special treat for you all. Please welcome, Miss Jenna McIntyre."

Once again, everyone applauded and he stepped aside as the red curtains parted like the Red Sea. Caroline stood centre-stage with a stand holding the microphone and a spotlight shining down her face as the entire ballroom went dark. She listened for the grand piano behind her play the first keys to Gloria Gayner's "I Will Survive". Somewhere during the song, she could've sworn her eyes found Klaus's and she heatedly sang to him and him alone with every word until the last word and everyone applauded with approval. The fast and upbeat song of "Where Did Our Love Go?" sung by The Supremes came onto the surround sound and everyone began to twirl and shimmy around the floor.

Caroline smiled, leaving the stage and by the time she reached the marble floors again, Ulysses offered her his hand for another dance which she gladly took. After their exhausting dance, Caroline returned to the refreshment tables and helped herself to a flute of champagne as a new song, "At The Beginning" by: Richard Marx, began to play in the background.

While Caroline took a sip and looked at the couples slowly dancing to the beginning of the song, Klaus walked into her view. He stood in the middle of the dance floor, dead in his tracks and his eyes focussed on Caroline only. The minute she saw his feet began to walk towards her, she frantically and instantly stood up. Caroline wanted to run but her body refused to move. Instead, she waited for him to stand before her and offer her his hand.

"Dance with me, Caroline Forbes?" He asked.

She nodded, reluctantly slid her hand into his. "Yes, Niklaus Mikaelson."

For a moment, his eyes were wide. As if he could have sworn that she'd instantly refuse. He guided her through the crowd of circling couples and stood in front of her. Klaus released her hand and formally bowed in front of her while Caroline grabbed the sides of her dress and curtsied. He softly pulled her into him with one hand on her waist and the other in her hand. She placed her hand on his shoulder and the other wrapped in his. As the music played on, Caroline and Klaus were dancing together in sync. But there was not a hint of enjoyment nor happiness within this dance, which secretly unsettled both dance partners during the dance while they held each other with stiff postures and expressionless faces.

When the music stopped, every man of the couples bowed and the girls curtsied as they all left the middle of the ballroom while Caroline and Klaus stared at each other, still in their dancing position. After she tried to escape his grip, he kept her tightly close to her. His stoic glare silently told her to stop struggling before she caused a scene. This caused her to narrow her eyes, glaring at him distastefully and swallowed her anger towards him before the next song: "If I Never Knew You" sung by: Jon Secada and Shanice began to fill the room.

"Smile Caroline, meddlesome vampires are observing us." Klaus seethed through clenched teeth and a bogus pleasant smile.

"Why lie to these semi-decent people and lead them on to believe I actually enjoyed your presence for one second, Niklaus?"

"If you plan on sparing Ulysses' life tonight, than you would better hastily grin as if this is best dance you ever had participated in."

Simply hearing his name and a threat, Caroline forced the corners of her mouth upwards. "Fine, but do not mistaken tonight, Niklaus. I am only saving the life of a new friend of mine."

"Have you forgotten everything I have told you yesterday? Ulysses is a mass-manipulator; he will say and do whatever he can to make his way to be an associate, especially to a vampire older and stronger than he."

"Then, he is truly a smart lad isn't he? If acquaintance connections are what he's seeking for from me, then I will give him my allegiance when I see fit."

Caroline winced at the tightening grip of his hands around her waist and around her hand and when he smirked humorously down at her; she glared his way once again. She continued to dance with him, sparing the lives in this very room if Klaus were to ever be angered and trifled with by Caroline again. Instead of any previous dances she had spent with the mighty hybrid in the past were never lovely, but they still moved together in sync, expecting the other's next graceful move as if they had spent time rehearsing. Although right now, she disgusted the feel of his touch, the sensation of his body pressed against hers, the scent of his normally addictive and familiar musky cologne. It was as if she was dancing with a complete stranger, an invisible wall blocking and wedging its way in between herself and her partner. She dared to look inside Klaus's eyes and they were no longer gloating neither amusing; they almost appeared sad and disappointed behind the sheet of emotionlessness and detachment of his indifferent expression. After the music had finished, he pulled her in closer if it were possible and she instinctively closed her eyes to brace herself for a bruising and harsh kiss. But he didn't, his trimmed stubble prickled across her cheek until his lips were next to her ears.

"You will not accept another dance from Ulysses tonight, Caroline, is that understood? Any other man in this room aside from him will do because I cannot tolerate further disobedience from you."

She looked hesitantly up into his eyes again, absorbing the truth and almost catching the urgent imploration behind them. Instead of agreeing to him and giving him what he wants on a silver platter, she stepped out of his arms, curtsied and hurried off through the glass French doors and into the garden. How dare he ask more from her? Not only did he have the nerve to show up here tonight after making such a fuss over not going, but he had the nerve to intimidate her into doing what he said in exchange to keep Ulysses alive. As much as it bothered Caroline that Acacia had straightforwardly and willingly expressed her sexual relations with Niklaus in front of her, she could never leave Ulysses' sister without a sibling.

Why, why did she always have to be unselfish to any unfamiliar and possibly misleading vampire she comes across that gives her the slightest bit of generosity? For the longest time, she's always asked herself that every time she dared to stand against Klaus's threats and rage. But now she knows why she's the way she is, even after everything she's been through. Because she's always felt guilty for involving whatever unaware but loyal outsider that she allowed into her life, leaving herself responsible for their life if it were to ever become endangered because of Klaus. It was never fair to carry this guilt and worry. Kathleen Bennett was innocently murdered all those years ago because she sheltered and hid away Caroline from his persistent pursuit. She knew better than that now. Every new person she had recently had the honor of getting to know, Felix, Hannah Bennett, Ulysses, could never be too close to Caroline. Klaus would never allow it unless she had something to offer in exchange for his acceptance.

Caroline realized that she was so deep into her thoughts; she didn't recognize Ulysses was now standing behind her. "We have got to stop meeting this way."

She gasped, spinning around with her hand over her hammering heart but relaxed at the sight in front of her. "And what is that, exactly, Ulysses?"

"We tend to cross paths whenever you are on your lonesome, near to tears, standing in utter silence and processing over any troubling thought in that overthinking head of yours."

"Oh, yes. If that is indeed a recurrence, I hope we stop."

"May I ask why you are out here? Is the party inside not to your liking?"

"No, not at all. I have not been to one in years and I needed fresh air. Forgive me if I had offended you."

"You could never offend me, Caroline."

"I wouldn't be so sure. I am under the Lord Niklaus's watchful eye, it may be best for you to stay away from me."

"Ah yes, Niklaus. I saw him earlier tonight, we conversed over a flute of champagne before he hurried off to 'urgent' matters. Undoubtedly regarding my sister, the long-awaited reunion between two lovers is the most anticipating."

"And you have approved of their courting, Ulysses?"

For the first time, Caroline caught a glimpse of this formal vampire's childlike side as he rolled his eyes and took a seat at a nearby swinging bench. "My dear sister has always had a stubborn mind, even while we were humans. I suppose that it has only magnified after becoming a vampire. However, I had no control over her infatuation towards Niklaus Mikaelson from the first day they met. In fact, I was not surprised. The night after their first coupling at breakfast, she was blooming and glowing red while she attempted with most difficulty to avoid his eyes. I may oppose it from time to time and no matter how many times I try to convince her otherwise, she has and will forever have her own freewill that I could never control deprived of feeling remorseful."

Caroline sat down next to him with a deep sigh. "I wish Niklaus were to think the same as you do. Nevertheless, he's never had his freedom threatened by an incessant and persistent bully before. He just doesn't understand how important and treasured permanent freedom and independence is towards oneself."

"Has he threatened yours, by any chance?"

"No, he claims he would never do such an unforgivable task, that he would never force me to be loyal and obedient to him because he supposedly admires my continuous defiance towards him despite his advances and threats. But I can never be too sure, it may just change one day and he will become so narrow-minded and unfeeling of my pleas that he may just compel whatever's holding me back out of me to get his way."

"That is quite the explanation, Caroline."

"I should not have said any of that. Ulysses, please stay away from me. I'm walking on thin ice already and I fear you will become the collateral damage tonight if I continue to talk with you, regardless of your men and their protection."

"I am not afraid of him, dear. After I was turned into a vampire, he compelled my sister and me to become fearless. We were forbidden to fret, but to become leaders over others lower than us. Do you not understand? He _created _my fate, this life I've lived has been pleasant but nothing has been changed. It has become repetitive and tiresome. I simply wish to be free."

"Honestly, I am not surprised he did this to you. Niklaus has thought, planned and acted upon many deceitful and cunning tasks, Ulysses, I'll give you that much. I know this better than anyone else."

"Has he caused you pain as well? I can see it in your eyes, and it must have happened before you were turned. You know, I have not yet had the pleasure of getting to know you and your history to the Lord Niklaus."

She nervously laughed, "I really shouldn't. It's a long and frankly useless fairy tale to share." _And frankly, I don't prefer to tell strangers._ Caroline knew there was something different and almost haunting about this old vampire in front of her. She couldn't figure him out, whether or not he's genuinely intrigued by her or obsessively needs to know her past and involvement with Niklaus Mikaelson. But right now, Caroline strongly disagreed with the obsessive and erratic expression, wide-eyed interested eyes and a stiff posture, waiting for the storytelling. However the blonde vampire refused.

"Come on, there must be _something _you can share." He urged, rather out of his natural character.

She sighed almost impatiently. "Look. All I can say is that I'm not foolish nor am I senseless to ever seal the deal upon his death, I've just in denial of what I know and feel. I wish I could stop, but I suppose I never have."

"And what do you feel, Caroline? Do you still wish to kill him after all of these centuries?"

"I want him suffer the way I have suffered. I want to grieve in situation he can no longer control. You know, I've hated him so much for what he did to me,_ so much_. Every little thing he did wrong sliced another betrayal through me. But recently maybe all I want to do is save his life, what's left of it and if it's even worth saving, whether or not he wants to be saved is completely up to him. Does that make any sense? I throw threats around and empty promises and relentless determination, but perhaps that's all I've known so it's all I can say and do. I could never become close to someone, and now that I have back at home, I fear I never will after him."

"You have a lover back in Mystic Falls?"

She nodded. "I wouldn't label him as a lover, he's just a really close friend and he's been there for me more than I could ask for. But he's been the closest item I have to a potential lover."

"As much as I adore a good love story and a happy ending, this happy ending involves Niklaus but that does not mean I would wish unhappiness upon you. Whatever makes you happy, Caroline, you have my support."

"Why, thank you, Ulysses. I wish you the same, whatever it is that gives you happiness. Actually, I've been meaning to ask you if I could sing another song to your group before I leave."

Caroline visually saw him swallow a lump further down his throat "Of course you can, I for one can agree that everyone here admires your beautifully enchanting voice. You can stay here afterwards if you wish. I'm sure Niklaus will not be too happy if you were to return to that suite."

"I thank you; however I've angered him enough for a day. And besides, I have made a promise to him I intend to keep." She said as she stood up, dusting off the wrinkles and specs of dirt off her dress.

Ulysses stood up as well, fixing his bowtie and his jacket. "Well, whenever you are back in Manhattan for a getaway, my home is yours."

She nodded. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." Caroline turned away, feeling his burning eyes drilling holes into her bareback until she was out of sight. For some reason, she felt as though this conversation was far from over.

As the song began to finish, Caroline took center stage under the spotlight and easily found Klaus conversing over a drink with a very familiar woman dressed in red. That didn't take long. Caroline rolled her eyes, taking the microphone as everyone faced her way, applauding approvingly.

"Good evening everyone, I hope you all can endure another song or two sung by myself. So please lead your loved one to the middle of the floor and I hope you all enjoy." Caroline kept her eyes trained onto Klaus as the piano behind began to play the keys of "Hurt" sung by: Christina Aguilera, singing every word with meaning and power as he fiercely held her eyes as if he was holding her prisoner in the protection of his arms. After battling with her inners to break down and cry, a solo tear escaped her eyes during her final note before briskly leaving the room and into the bathroom when the orchestra arose to play music.

Staring into the mirror, she immediately wiped away the tears before her mascara would run and began to fix her hair before leaning her hands against the granite countertop. She looked up from the ground and into the mirror, but this time she saw Klaus's shadowy reflection standing behind her in the magnificent ladies bathroom attached to the ballroom. Before she could gasp or yell out for help, she spun around and he already had his lips over her to silence any cry for help.

Even though her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head and her body almost gave out, she fought the urge and fought back by using her hands to try and shove his chest away but that only made his arms tighten around her waist, pinning her lower back further into the countertop.

"Shh, love. You'll create a scene with this ruckus." He whispered into her ear.

She shook off him off, giving him one final push and glared at him. "What are doing in here, Niklaus? This is the _ladies _room."

Klaus shrugged, nonchalantly. "The men's room was full. And besides, gender in front of a restroom has never stopped me before; it will not stop me now."

"Get out. I didn't want to see you tonight, but I should have known better."

"You have been playing quite the dangerous game tonight, sweetheart. It would be foolish to continue a game you are surely going to lose in the end."

"Why have you come, Niklaus? To drag me out of here and back to the suite while Ulysses is not watching over me?"

"Do not dare to say his name in front of me. I am already seconds away from beheading and staking him in front of the audience, do not urge me to act upon it."

"Are you angry he adores me so, Niklaus? Or perhaps have you come tonight in hopes to reunite with a former ongoing lover of yours?" And by his look, she knew he knew exactly what she meant. "Yes, I know about Acacia, Niklaus. She could not help herself from visually flaunting over a very descriptive past with you."

"Ah, of course she has. After a few decades of staggering lovemaking reunions, I am not surprised she was verbal. At least one has remained faithful to me after all these years. But no, she is not the reason I've arrived tonight."

Caroline suddenly backed away from him, further into the darkness of the poorly-lit bathroom and closer to the far wall. "It could not have been because of me. You're still furious with me and you cannot stand that I am truly enjoying myself without your presence needed."

He followed her, backing and cornering her until her back was pressed against the wall and his hands were imprisoning her there. "I admit, I've originally arrived tonight on ill intentions to force you to come back with me so that we can prepare for tomorrow's well-awaited event. Nevertheless, when I first saw you beaming tonight, dancing and absorbing Ulysses' overused words of endearments, I have yet to see you this comfortable and dare I say it, contented before. So I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to force you towards your involvement with my plan tomorrow. Frankly, I would be putting you in danger in a hostile environment and situation."

"Then, if you are not here to threaten or blackmail me into willingly leaving you, what are you doing here?"

"I'm releasing you from my imprisonment, Caroline. Tomorrow night, I will continue with the plans and you will return to Mystic Falls to plot my ultimate death with the awakening of my father."

"Niklaus, you evidently brought me here for a reason and I know it has nothing to do with my relationship with Felix."

"Essentially, love that is exactly why I took you with me. I could have taken Stefan; he has nothing resembling neither a companionship to Felix nor the Dawson pack. However I knew I would somehow sever and possibly destroy the bond you strangely ensure with this werewolf, the same man you refuse to hand over to me to take away his suffering he endures once a month under the full moon."

"Does my happiness anger you that much, Niklaus? The thought that I might have found happiness for just a second of my miserable existence displeases you beyond belief."

"No, sweetheart, you are very wrong. I've always wished for your happiness, for you to be happy and at peace would thrill me to no end. But with the exception, I can never truly and agreeably swallow the pill of this reality. Believe me, Caroline; I want you to be happy. On the other hand, I want you to be happy with me."

"You drive a hard bargain, Niklaus. Ultimately I'm given permission under your order to be happy but the only exception you allow is that if I'm happy with you. Do you understand how wrong and unfair that sounds? How could you dare to dictate my life? Whether or not you claim that you have your best interest at heart towards my welfare and happiness, you truly don't unless I am loyally by your side and that I could actually agree throughout all of your prejudiced and cruel scheming attacks on innocent people."

"Caroline, I am giving you your freedom. After I have turned the Dawson pack into hybrids and they accompany me back to Mystic Falls, I plan on reuniting with my father standing next to you and Damon Salvatore, executing my demise."

"Niklaus, if I mean anything to you, you won't do this. Why must it be Felix's family? They are innocent, regardless of Felix's association to me." She almost begged.

"I thought I told you to flee, before I change my mind and resort to my predictably original tactics."

"I refuse. I cannot leave Manhattan unharmed with a satisfied mind under your approval, knowing you will kill and feed those werewolves tomorrow night. In fact, I am glad you showed up tonight because just now, I remembered I have a proposal to offer you."

"What could you possibly suggest in exchange for my chance to create more hybrids? Pray, tell me quickly."

"If I were to find another werewolf pack within New York, another werewolf pack to turn into hybrids, would you wait for me to offer you to them?"

Klaus sighs harshly, considering her proposal. "Now you, my dear, drive a hard bargain."

"If I can find another werewolf pack, would you leave the Dawson pack alone?"

"Perhaps. But it all depends on how many members are within the pack and how far away they are. I have done my research on Felix's family and there are only a maximum of ten to fifteen werewolves. If you can find a pack with more than that, than yes. I will contemplate on changing my plans to kill and change the Dawson pack."

"How long do I have?"

"Until tomorrow night, before sundown so I can have time to get there before the moon has risen."

Caroline nodded. "Okay."

"But if you fail, Caroline, otherwise I will kill turn the entire Dawson pack into hybrids without blinking."

"I get it, Niklaus. It will be done and you won't have to resort to that."

"Let's hope not."

"Can I ask you for a favour? It's simple. Keep an eye on Ulysses while I search through his office for documentations on packs of werewolves in Manhattan."

"Well, you are indeed greedy tonight, my dear Caroline. But yes, I will. And if he leaves, I will make sure he doesn't find you."

"Good, then I will leave with you."

Klaus watched as she walked around him, opened the door as the brightly-lit ballroom shown through the doorway but before she left, she looked over her shoulder to take a look at him. "For what it's worth, Niklaus, I am glad you came here tonight. That's all I really wanted when I saw that invitation. Believe me or not, but I never wanted you to be here because you were angry with me. I just wanted to see if we could have fun together, even if it's in the company of others. I thought I could somehow convince you to bring me here and not give a damn about what others thought about you while I was on your arm. But that's just another pipe dream, right? Too good to be true?" She disappeared behind the door before he could think of a response to counter her owns, but just this time he decided to let it go for now.

Caroline quickly searched through Ulysses' forbidden and darkened private office, carefully looking through the files and drawers for some source of records of residential werewolf packs. As the leader of the vampire empire in Manhattan, he must have tabs on other species living in his vast territory. After nearly half an hour of looking through his endless files and surprisingly without getting caught, she pulled out a brief record of a werewolf family with twenty members in their pack residing in East Harlem. Just as Caroline spun around to exit the dark room with a bright smile across her lips, she stood still from the silhouette of an unrecognizable figure, blocking her way to escape unnoticed.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A familiar voice taunted and for the first time in a while, Caroline felt as though she was a human child caught red-handed with her hand in the cookie jar.

**live2write123: *GASP!* that's right a cliff-hanger because I can and I haven't in a while so there it is! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it and we see a bit of Klaus's wavering annoyance and irritation towards Caroline's rebellious acts and now we're beginning to see where her true loyalties have always and possibly always have rested. But damn, all these Klaroline scenes in the series have REALLY helped me write more for my own story and I hope Caroline in the series can stop playing mind games with Klaus and get together with him already! As much as I love their cat-and-mouse-chase game they have going on, I wish we could see MORE of Caroline's true feelings towards her involvement with Klaus because we already know how much he "fancies" her and supposedly "loves" her. But maybe that's just me!**

**!PLEASE READ! **

**If you are interested in whether or not I'm gonna write a new story soon, I hope to either write a new story from a different tv series or a new Klaroline story fresh out of my mind or one of the story PLOTS based off one of my favourite historical films AFTER this story is done, which I hope to combine season 4's events into this season 4's within the story and as well as my own ideas inputted :) anyway, thanks again for reading :) and until next time, see you all later! :)**


	37. Chapter Thirty Six

**live2write123: *comes out of hiding with her hands in a surrendering stance* h-h-hey ya'll. How's it been? Everyone good? Okay, well VERY long time update, I can't even begin to say how surprised I am to see people still favouriting this story and anything else. I honestly can't understand why but overall I'm very grateful for all of you :) so thank you very much. I love each and every one of you.**

**Ps. This chapter happens in New York but the next chapter will start off with a few finishing New York scenes before Klaus and Caroline return to Mystic Falls to face off with Papa Original, which is waaay more complicated than anything else. I realize I'm making this turn out to be more of a soap opera than anything else.**

**Pss. Thanks again for all of the patience and support! I hope this chapter was worth the wait :) but ****anyway, ****please review, alert, favourite, comment, and most of all, enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Win Some, Lose Some**

_**Present Day (Manhattan, New York)**_

Caroline's mouth dropped open but refused to let out a remotely believable reason to clarify her reasoning to why she was in Ulysses' private office with a suspicious file grasped in between her hand. But Caroline couldn't mistake this voice for another's; she just didn't know where to begin or what words she could use to try to explain herself.

"Acacia." Caroline said, evenly and calmly. "Before you jump to conclusions, allow me to explain myself."

The girl tapped her foot impatiently and crossed her arms over her chest. "There's nothing to explain. I just knew you worked for somebody the minute you walked in. Is it Klaus? It's him, isn't it? I never wanted to believe you would betray my brother after all of the generosity he's shown and given you. Now, we'll get to see you executed the old-fashioned way at dawn for your crimes." She smiled, almost wickedly. "You're no better than him, you know? You'll betray and deceive anyone you want, regardless of their kindness and loyalty towards you. However, I do wonder how your precious Niklaus will be after he witnesses a wooden stake through your cold, dead heart."

Before Caroline could let Acacia twist around on her heel to scurry off and reveal Caroline's disloyalty to Ulysses, Klaus stood in the beautiful ebony-haired woman's way and stood tall to intimidate the baby vampire compared this Original. For the first time, Caroline felt almost relieved to see him here at this party, just in time to save her from her predicted fate. The worst part is he and Caroline both knew alike that she would willingly give her life over to them.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart; I have failed to hear your words specifically. What is it that you wonder from me, Acacia?" His deadly quiet voice asked calmly.

"L-Lord Niklaus, I did not hear you come." She stuttered. "With all due respect, this does not concern you."

"Hmm, I could have _sworn _that wasn't the question I asked. I am in need of simple and short clarity. But if anyone is going to die tonight, it shall be you." Klaus's hand shot up from his side and it wrapped around Acacia's throat before she could escape from his threatening promise and threatened to use the other hand to rip out her heart. "Now, Caroline. Should I return the favour of pushing a wooden stake through her heart in front an audience, including her beloved brother? Or can you construct with another equally poetic technique of execution? Or perhaps an old-fashioned approach by tying her to a post while the flames of Hell burn at her feet, slowly rising until there are nothing left but ash."

Caroline's eyes widened at the familiar and dangerous glare in his cold eyes as she stepped out of the darkness of the office to interfere. "No, Niklaus! She doesn't deserve to die. She was just simply protecting her brother. I should've been more careful."

"How could you say that? How dare you just _let _this vile woman, and frankly a waste of vampire space, seal the deal of your death. Caroline, surely you are aware of the fact that she is an old vampire but not as old as you. Physically, as an older vampire that you are, you could have overpowered easily with one hand and fled this place without a superhuman eye to catch you."

"How many times must I repeat myself? I'm not like you. I don't intimidate others younger than me or weaker than me through physical power and age. I'd rather be labeled as a traitor and killed for my betrayal than an executioner for something I shamefully did and got caught in the act of doing."

"Then you are no better than Stefan Salvatore himself. Well, I should say the former Stefan Salvatore, the weak and foolish Stefan. Your guilt and humanity will truly stop you from being as great as your potential. I thought I would have taught you better than that by now." Klaus sighed, impatiently as he turned his attention towards the gasping vampire at his clutch. "I should have seen this coming tonight. She's always felt as though another vampire was her competition, and maybe after she saw you and I dancing earlier tonight, she knew who her competition was and decided to eliminate it, whether or not she had caught you betraying Ulysses. You see, her obsession to have me as her only committed lover has always been and will forever is her downfall."

"Please, just don't kill her. I have the file and I left everything the way it is in his office. Can you please just compel her to forget this conversation so we can leave and go to your precious werewolves already?"

"Will compelling her and sparing her life make you happy?"

Caroline was baffled that he asked her, that it was actually her verdict to whether Acacia lives or not. She nodded quickly. "Yes, very much so."

Klaus nodded once, looking deep into Acacia's wide-eyes and compelling her memory to forget everything that had just happened right now with his soothing accented-voice, telling her to close her eyes and after she opened them, to tell her brother that Klaus had blackmailed Caroline into leaving and returning to the hotel with him. And by the time Acacia confusedly opened her eyes, Klaus and Caroline were already out of the building.

After the two stepped into their hotel room, Caroline angrily removed her expensive heels and dropped them to the floor with a loud _clunk_ before marching her way further into the living room. "Is that how you wanted to make me leave with you? Manipulation? Intimidation? I really shouldn't be surprised anymore, furthermore I should always predict the worst out of you."

He sighed. "Easy, love. How you easily forget that it was _you _who had prearranged and proposed this new agreement to me."

"It was a win-win situation for the both of us: you get your hybrids either way and I've saved Felix's family from their unforeseen doom. Of course I would propose a substitution."

"Precisely, now if you will hand over this file of yours and allow me to read over the alternative werewolf pack that you have up your sleeve."

She outstretched her hand holding the file towards him and he took it, opening it and began to read it. Caroline watched him walk blindly around her, the fabric of his coat brushing past her shoulder on the way to the couch.

"Help yourself. I'm gonna take a bath and hopefully, forget this night ever happened." She announced, picking up her high-heels on the way to her bedroom and closing the door behind, remembering to lock her bathroom door closed as well. Caroline started to fill the soaker tub with hotel-provided lavender bubble bath and bath salts, lit a few scented candles in the room before she removed the pins from her curly hair until it all showered over her bare shoulders, gently removed her gown, hung it up on a hook on the back of the door, and stepping into the warm and almost-overflowing foamy water. She pampered herself over a bottle of champagne, drinking it directly from the bottle until she felt a vaguely familiar thrill of the expensive alcohol burning deep inside her stomach. Before she got carried away, pitifully drowning herself in her sorrows, and after an hour or so had past, Caroline got out of the tub, drained the water out of it,

She found herself nervously pacing her bedroom floor in front of her bed, dressed in a purple tank-top and matching plaid pajama pants, and unable to fall asleep even after her usual routine to help her to get to sleep. Caroline could easily hear him behind these thin walls; he was in his room next to hers now and was planning a new diabolical ambush on this new Latino but equally innocent werewolf pack. She wanted to help; now after briefly reading on the way to the hotel of the family's suspicion of accused criminal activities that the interdependent family had exhibited over the years of a dangerously illegal agreements and overall dominant organization. They all have innocent blood on their hands, blood from those who were closely watched and murdered for being at the wrong place at the wrong time and Caroline knew all too well that the assassinations delivered from fiercely devoted members of this society weren't all guilty. There was a manipulator, a puppet master pulling the strings behind the curtain so that his skin was always left unsoiled and his reputation with the police had always been left clean. She remembered clans and gangs such as these from her past; rebellious and deceitful and merciless humans that strive off of power and respect and intimidation from those who fear them, She had seen too many criminals narrowly escape from the laws enforced over the years; but not now. Caroline was determined to make sure the people who were tortured, blackmailed and ultimately killed after risking and sacrificing their lives to keep their loved ones safe and alive from murderous killers due to a non-negotiable loyalty and alliance, which their deaths would never be in vain.

Caroline finally summoned the courage to open her bedroom door, to stand in front Klaus's closed ones, take a deep breath before sheepishly knocking on the door until he responded. "Enter." He muttered, absentmindedly and throatily.

She obeyed, opening one of the double doors to see Klaus sitting at the top of his king-sized white canopy bed with documents, pictures, and information scattered out in front of him. He didn't even bother to look up at her from his fixated gaze on what's spread out before him to acknowledge her presence. "How can help you, love? I thought you would have been out of this hotel by now."

"I meant what I said, Niklaus. I told you my determination overpowers my standards once I am fully involved into someone else's business and I plan on executing this desire tomorrow night."

This time, his burning but detached eyes found hers. "How can I be so sure? How can I trust you will be there to pledge your loyalty and participation?"

"You should know this of me by now, Niklaus. When you had attempted to change Ray Sutton's pack into hybrids, I stood by your side because I know how much this means to you and how long you've waited for this day to come true. I stayed with you, despite my judgements and morals towards killing innocent people for another's personal gain."

"A lot has changed since that night, Caroline. Remember that I simply changed my sights on the Dawson family to this pack because we have finally come to a compromise. Without the Santiago family and their crimes in East Harlem, hopefully peace will return to that city and the rest of innocents, which is what you have always persistently desire to provide. I could care less of the humans and the danger they live around."

"For the reason that unlike you, I have an unavoidable moral compass: it is what I have developed since the day I was born. I was taught wrong from right; and I learnt good from evil. Some vampires are born with a consciously human empathetic mind and they fiercely follow their inner thoughts, others have grown to accept their humanity while most defy it and ignore it complete, mistaking it as a weakness. I can never change you, Niklaus. We agree on that much. As easier it would be to do so, it would never be fair. From what you have always told me, you would never try to change me, compel me to be loyal to you and docile. Even during the course of my endless disloyalty and disappointment towards you, you have always forgiven me."

His eyebrows creased together out of confusion to her nervous rambling, but refused to look up at her. "What are you trying to say to me, Caroline?"

Caroline cupped her elbows and dropped her gaze to her bare feet. "In all honesty, I never once gave myself the chance or reason to even try to forget you completely on my own; to somehow move on entirely from the past and to finally start living after nine-hundred-years as a bitter and obsessive ghost."

He stood up from his bed and stood in front of her, gazing severely into her eyes. "Perchance you can begin forgiving yourself before you attempt to forgive anyone else, love. I know you have never forgiven yourself for the way your family had perished; you have always felt as though if only you had never even considered your happiness for the first time in your young life over their plans for an arranged marriage to their only daughter, they would live and survive to the end of their natural deaths. The moment you stepped out of your restricted and programmed lifestyle and future, you have always regretted being selfish to get have you want and putting yourself before anyone else is now unacceptable for you to contemplate. You turned into a vampire to prevent an experience of a miserably empty and typical life and so you have grown to put the safety and happiness of others before your own. It became a habit and now it has become your life."

Caroline took one step back and that was it all took to have her back was pressed against door behind her before regretfully placing her hand in the middle of his broad chest to prevent him from invading anymore personal space. "How could you possibly understand this, Niklaus, more than I could ever recognize about myself? I am to partially blame your attendance in my life for their deaths. Without your siblings and your participation in my human village, a vengeful and ruthless Papa Original wouldn't have terrorized and destroyed what was left of my human life. I wanted to fake my human death in a carriage accident while I was off to ride into the sunset with my arranged husband so that my family and friends could live the rest of their normal lives into retirement and then into their natural deaths. But it was just another pipe dream, wasn't it? To believe that a vampire life could possibly answer all of my problems when it made everything worse."

"No, dear, you have every right to be happy and carefree. Even as a human, you always had that privilege to enjoy freedom and happiness over your own life, Caroline but you were never given the opportunity. Never entirely."

She scoffed while she rolled her eyes. "You're wrong. By your guidelines, I can never be happy unless I am happy with you. You made sure of this tonight. That I can never have a life out of sight of your watchful and overprotective view."

"Let us not argue about this again, love. It's a limitless quarrel neither of us will and can ever win. Currently, I have an ambush to plan and execute tomorrow night that needs my undivided attention."

"Surprisingly, Niklaus, I didn't originally come here to argue with you. I wanted to offer my assistance, if I can be in any help towards your plan."

His eyes only narrowed suspiciously while he released a scoff of air. "Now why should I jeopardize everything just so you can feel good about involving yourself into my plans to kill over twenty werewolves?"

"For once, believe me when I saw these words to you. Instead of trying to tell you what to do or how to come up with a compromise to somehow satisfy the both of us, I'm going to agree and obey with your every rule to accomplish this plan. I will be your loyal accomplice, rather than my normally disloyal and indifferent self. If you do not believe me, compel the truth out of me. You are fully aware of this drill, and yet you have never used this drastic measure."

Klaus sighed, almost defeated as turned away and returned to sit on his bed. "Fine, however if we are going to do this, all I want you to do is to listen to every word I tell you and do what I say and you're only response will be yes or the city of East Harlem will be painted in red. Is that understood?"

Caroline nodded, slowly walking to the end of the bed. "Crystal clear, Niklaus." He looked up at her hesitantly and unsure of how to explain his ambush, but he had to at least try to trust her on this. He already could see a familiar determination and passion in her eyes, the same determination and passion he felt every day when a new opportunity of more successful and loyal hybrids. He just had to trust her… or there wouldn't have been a point in forcing her against her will to come here with him in the first place.

The following morning, Klaus was patiently waiting outside the change room of a small gothic store down the street from their hotel as Caroline changed into the outfit the clerk picked out for her to wear. Basically, tonight she was to go to the Santiago bar around three this afternoon to distract the pack of werewolves while Klaus would have a nice little chat with their alpha, the owner of the bar and the Santiago empire, in the backroom to come up with a compromise.

"Are you almost done, Caroline? We still have a hair and makeup bookings to be present at in less than an hour."

"Yes, Niklaus, I'm almost dressed. But just promise me you won't laugh."

Klaus rolled his eyes and stifled a laugh at the thought of Caroline's confessing her inner insecurities as if she actually cared what he thought. "No, I give you my word that I will not, under any circumstances laugh at—

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, she pushed aside the curtain and stepped out into the opening. She wore a pair of thigh-high red leather platinum boots, a pair of skin-tight studded high-waist black denim shorts with black fishnet stockings underneath and a strapless red corset top with a sweetheart neckline and black lace trim tucked into the shorts. He was practically undressing her with his eyes, watching her under his lustful and widened dark eyes. She blushed, feeling insecure as she wrapped her arms over her cleavage line and bust before her top completely fell off.

"Um, you wouldn't mind tying up the laces, would you?"

He visibly slightly shook his head out of his trance and cleared his throat. "Why? Do you think I am an expert with past experiences in this particular task, love?" Her eyes widened up at him and before he could catch a blush slowly reddening her face, she looked down at their feet. "Turn around." Klaus whispered and she did, feeling her top tighten around her upper body as he took his time tugging the laces together and eventually tying it into a bow at the top. His hands cupped her bare shoulders while he closed the space in between them and his nose nuzzled into her hair until his lips were next into her ear. "Sorry, love, if the results do not suit your fancy. I'm truly an expert in undressing a woman."

"Never mind, Niklaus, will this outfit please and distract your rabid dogs in the meantime?"

"Ah, yes. I will not linger this discussion with the alpha once he and I are out of sight. And during so, his pack will drool over how ravishing you look and I refuse to allow not even one of these werewolves to lay one hand on you. I give you my word."

She shrugged, brushing off his sincerity and taking her possible death rather lightly. "And if you cannot keep your promise, I will most certainly die tonight a slow and painful death by the lethal werewolf bites."

"Do you truly believe I would allow that to happen to you? And even if you were to be bitten, I would heal you instantly before you were to ever hallucinate and suffer."

"Let's face it, Niklaus. You're obsession for a hybrid army is a desperate and urgent attempt to protect yourself from your vengefully raging father. Not even my safety could come between you and having your way, a dream that has existed long before I ever did."

"This will be different, love. This was your idea to become involved with my plan, even after I had released you from my imprisonment. But that is simply who you have always been, determined and selfless. Heed my words carefully, Caroline. No harm will ever come to you tonight."

Caroline eventually nodded, capturing the honesty and promise in his eyes.

He smiled as his dimples in his cheeks surfaced while doing so. "Now, if you please change out of those clothes before we are indeed late for your other appointments." Klaus cocked an eyebrow, seducing features crossing his face. "Do you wish for me to reveal my expertise in undressing, sweetheart?"

She gasped while her entire face quickly inflamed as bright as her new red boots, stomping into her dressing room and yanking the curtain closed. "Go to hell, Nik!" Caroline yelled, causing him to erupt into a throaty fit of rumbling laughter.

By the time they were finished with her separate appointments, it was already mid-afternoon and Caroline was fully dressed into her outfit of the night. A makeup artist across the street from the salon had shaded her eyeshadow to a dark and smoky color with a hint of a maroon hue to bring out her green eyes while her lips were as red as blood and her thin-layer of foundation makeup on her face gave her a certain glow. Caroline barely recognized herself now staring back at her, apart from her erotic dancer days and lessons with Katerina way back when. Just as she ran her fingertips over the smooth material of her outfit, a soft knock on her door interrupted her silent observation of herself.

"Caroline, if we don't leave now, we'll be too late." He murmured, persistently.

She rolled her eyes, thanking to someone higher above that a door was blocking him from catching her annoyed expression. "I'm coming." Caroline muttered, opening the door to see Klaus standing directly in the doorway as if his entire body was pressed up against the door when it was closed. She instinctively took a tiny step backwards, already dreading the close but brief proximity between the two of them.

Catching her breath, she licked her dried lips and looked him in the eyes while his took their time slowly observing her outfit and appearance all over again. "Okay, if your eyes would be so kind and return to their sockets, can we go and get this over with before I regret it more than I already do?"

He smirked his signature Cheshire smile and stepped aside, graciously and politely extended his hand out sideways in a 'you first' gesture. "But of course. Let us be off."

She sighed, walking around him before walking to the door, listening to her heels clack against the floor on the way and Klaus closely followed her out of the hotel building and into his Lincoln Navigator for an agonizingly extensive car ride to their location.

"You still have time to withdraw yourself from this plan." His voice silenced out the murmuring music from the radio, almost halfway to their location.

"I already told you numerous times, Niklaus. I cannot. If I can be of any service to the cause, then I accept. And besides, I need to make sure from my own eyes that you _only _turn these werewolves into your next group of loyal soldiers. Not another East Harlem human will suffer another terrorizing threat and death from the hands of evil."

"Does this make me evil?"

Caroline turned to look at him, the silence settling around them as she took this time to find an answer. "No, I don't think you're an evil individual. Not entirely. I just know you are fully capable of doing evil things, unforgivable and terrible things that can never be truly forgotten."

"That is… quite the accurate description."

"You're not the only one that knows someone from the inside out. I know more about you more than you think I do."

"Believe me, love, I'm completely aware of that fact. It's unavoidable and undeniable at this point, is it not? After centuries, should we not admit the denied and avoided evident truth?"

"I truly wish it was that simple, Niklaus. But it's not, it never was. Sure, it could have been years before you and I ever crossed paths, however now is different and I cannot ignore the fact that it's different now. Neither of us can change the past, the decisions and actions we made on our own can never be forgotten. For what it's worth, I am sorry."

He gave her a smile, the most genuinely nonchalant and Caroline would have believed it with complete reassurance if only it met his eyes. But it didn't. "As am I." He murmured before turning his head back to face the road.

After they had parked the car across the street from the bar, Caroline's eyes were focussed in on the vague, shady and unsafe building where there were very high possibilities that any woman her age, if she were human, bad things could happen to her. And in this moment, she knew it was too late to back out but what startled her the most was that she didn't want to. She wanted to help him, beyond the point of assisting Klaus to remove a gang of lowlife drug dealers from this earth. Caroline knew she wanted to be here, helping and working side by side with who she used to look at as her one true love.

During her observation of the bar and while she was deep in thought, Klaus watched her every facial expression, expecting her to call her involvement in this off and demand to stay in the car while he fulfilled his persistent dream by inflicting fear and collecting fellow werewolves as hostages. It was either his way or death – nothing else could be negotiated.

"Are you sure you wish to go through with this, love?"

"Yes, and if you keep asking me, I'll lie and back out."

"Fine, I will not try to stop you from this point on. Are you ready?"

"It's now or never."

"Okay, I'll give you twenty minutes before I walk in. Work your magic and stay safe."

"I will. I've made this far into this life, haven't I?" She threw him a smile, a comforting smile that told him that she was a big girl and she can hold her own head on her shoulders. Caroline stepped out of his car, strutted her way across the street and disappeared into the bar. Stepping inside, her first impression and instincts only worsened. In this moment, she honestly felt as though she was as innocent and vulnerable and reckless as a typical human her age because she knew the most crucial part she had to execute was to appear as though she's a normal human, looking for an easy and quick way to get a job by showing off her… most visibly appealing features.

Caroline knew the attention she received the minute she stepped inside, everyone dressed in dark clothes and even though it was just past dinnertime, almost everyone here were already halfway to getting intoxicated while sexed-lyric songs filled in the background. She walked to the bar, casually leaning her elbows against the bar and pushing her bottom out for the whoevers were standing behind her to capture their attention and lust after her more. Caroline ordered herself the most expensive martini concoction and waited, she licked her lips voluntarily and her eyes slowly scanned the crowd around her.

Someone stood out to her the most than anyone else for some undiscovered reason, which had appeared to be the most sober, normal and civil. He was tall with a stocky build, broad-shoulders, defined bone structure, and a clean shaven face. He had to be in his late twenties to early thirties, with short black hair that was styled professionally and from where Caroline stood, his eyes were a brilliant ice blue. The man wearing a dark grey dress shirt that had been unbuttoned by the first three buttons of his shirt, a pair of black trousers and shiny dress shoes. He had a leather briefcase and his matching black blazer to his pants positioned in the bar seat next to him.

She decided to continue to stare at him until he would notice her. Caroline was confused, he appeared to be a successful business man who had finished another tiring 9-5 shift at his office and now was catching a quick beer before going home for the night. But why was a man this out of place in a dump like this? Caroline's original plan worked, after taking another gulp of beer his eyes found hers. His eyebrow twitch slightly, suddenly intrigued and he stared her curvaceously revealing body before signalling her to join him with a slight jerk of his head. She gladly finished the rest of her grey goose martini, paid for it and made her way to where the man was.

"Hello." She said, pleasantly.

"Hey there."

"Buy me a beer?"

"I will if you tell me your name."

"Carrie. My name is Carrie Foster. And yours?"

"Alec Davis." He offered her his hand and due to the untainted intentions in his eyes, she shook it before he had turned to the bartender and ordered another round for beer. "So tell me, Carrie, what brings you here on this evening?"

"A job application, actually. I was hired the other day to be this place's next bar singer."

"It's not my intention to offend you, Carrie. But I'd say you are selling yourself short regarding your next job. How old are you?" He said, opening the cold beer for her and giving it to her.

She smirked mischievously, taking a sip of the beer. "You first."

"I'm thirty-one."

"Twenty-five."

He took in a gulp. "See? Shouldn't you be aiming to strive for a more stable job opposed to an unpredictable occupation as a bartender here?"

"Considering I'm on my own now after I had dropped out of college, I'd say I'm aiming higher than I ever thought I would be. At least I'm not prostituting myself as a cheap and desperate alternative to get food and have a roof over my head."

He appeared slightly embarrassed and shocked at the same time. "Oh… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry; I just didn't think you were living on your own completely."

Caroline shrugged. "My parents essentially disowned me when they discovered I didn't want to go to school to be a lawyer. I want follow my own path and make my mistakes. And they didn't accept it so I moved out four years ago and started living on my own. No, it's not a walk in the park but at least I'm on my own two feet and I'll get to where I want to be soon enough, it'll just take time and hard work."

"I admire you for your mindset, Carrie. I know how you feel, the loneliness and fear you feel constantly. Never knowing whether or not you had made the right decision and the risk of dishonoring your parents in the process of gaining your freedom. I left my strict and demanding family in order to escape their high expectations of me. Unfortunately, during the choice of moving away and out of my family's household, I left behind family members I never wanted to desert. Due to my decisions I made all those years ago, I don't regret anything – but I still hope for a relationship with my siblings. One day."

"Hope is good, it gives us a reason to fight another day of agony and solitude and regret to expect and wish for everything to finally fall into place again, for everything to be complete as a whole once again."

He smiled a white-toothy grin. "Exactly my point."

Suddenly the booming, seductive music was turned down and the bartender had stepped onto the bar counter with a microphone in his hand. "Hey guys, I'm looking for a new employee starting her first night here. Is there a Carrie?"

Caroline finished the rest of her beer, chugging down its cheap contents while her eyes were locked with Alec's. She raised her hand, allowing the bartender to hoist her up next to him before she whispered the song she'd be singing into his ear. He nodded, handing her the microphone and hopping off the bar counter.

"How's it going everyone? Enjoy yourselves tonight, I sure am." Caroline said, watching the lights dimming and listening to the beginning of "What the hell?" by: Avril Lavigne began to play in the background. Throughout the song, slowly pacing the counter back and forth she watched Klaus enter the bar unnoticed from the corner of her eye before slipping into the backroom that was only supposed for the employees to use. By the time she had finished her song, the crowd roared and wolf-whistled her performance.

After she was seated again in her chair, Caroline was given another drink and an approving smirk from her new drinking buddy. She almost regretted what was about to going on behind the 'Employees Only' door and the catastrophe that was about to happen. But she knew she couldn't back out now.

"Wow," Alec said admiringly, "a woman of many talents."

Caroline through her head back, laughing. "Please, I just went to too many Karaoke bars over the years."

He nodded. "Either way, I like what I see."

Suddenly, five minutes had past and she didn't need to look over her shoulder to see that Klaus had re-entered the bar from the back. She could feel him, his presence, his fragrance from this distance, his domineering stance. But the music was turned off immediately and everyone's attention was turned towards him.

Now Caroline met his eyes, he stood holding the bar owner by clutching onto the back of his neck, a freshly bleeding and open bite-mark on the side of his throat while the corners of Klaus's mouth had traces of his blood before he tossed the man to his knees. "Good evening everyone, you may have heard of me. My reputation and quest has become quite the gossip. My name is Niklaus Mikaelson."

The crowd murmured amongst each other, a few worried gasps as everyone's eyes were widened and their postures were stiff with tension, already expecting the worst. "It's the Hybrid." Caroline heard someone muttered, frantically.

"Correct. I am the Hybrid. And bearing in mind that you all know _who_ I am, you all must be aware of _what _I'm here for. I demand to make more of me. You see, the owner of this bar was courteous enough to given me the authorization to follow through with my plan. Now, whoever is lycanthrope, I ask you to step forward, before this needs to get anymore bloodier."

After no one had stepped forward, frozen in fear of the almighty hybrid standing in front of them, he shook his head disappointedly. "I would rather not resort to drastic measures, everyone. No one has to get hurt by my hands as long as you remain obedient and loyal to me. Imagine a werewolf life, the curse you have been slaved to the moon on a night once a month, without the pain and suffering of every bone in your body to shift into an uncontrollable, rabid wolf. As a Hybrid, I have the power and control the shifting whether or not I wish to turn. I will grant you freedom from this curse, all you have to do is hand yourself willingly over to me."

To Caroline surprise, Alec stepped forward. He walked through the crowd, gently pushing people aside to stand in front.

"Excellent, we have a volunteer. What's your name?"

"Alec Davis."

"You're lying. I can hear your heart race. If you are to pledge your loyalty to me, you must be honest and present the truth."

"I didn't step forward to hand myself and my fate over to you. I'd rather die than become one of you, apart your personal army of slaves. I have family and friends to live for and I'd rather break every bone in my body repeatedly than to kneel at your feet, constantly under your dictatorship."

"Considering I cannot kill you, which normally I do not hesitate to accomplish, but your kind is very rare to come by nowadays and I've come a long way to fulfil my operation." Klaus turned towards the man kneeling next to him. "Now, I wanted to attempt to do this the civil and humane way but as always, it never turns out that way. You're the Alpha, the leader, the king correct? We all know you hold the power over this pack, but unfortunately, I want that power to hold over these werewolves. I need all of you to submit to me."

Before her eyes and everyone else's, the man who held power and control and authority over the werewolves mixed into crowd of a few humans, had Klaus's hand plunged into his chest before his heart was slowly squeezed until it popped like a balloon. It was torn from his chest, what was left of it and the pieces were spattered against the bar floor.

"Now, I'm going to ask again. Who would like to be the first volunteer?" Klaus asked, licking the blood off of his hands before turning to Alec. "How about you, Spartacus? I can assure you that immortality has its perks."

As the hours passed, Caroline sat on the bar counter and watched ahead after her assistance was no longer needed. She chugged back an old bottle of tequila, enjoying the stinging burn she received with every gulp. Caroline couldn't deny it, she hated what she was watching but she knew she had to grasp the fact that in the first place, she had volunteered her assistance and was determined to remain helpful and loyal with this plan, even after he gave her opportunities to escape. While the werewolves were dead on the floor with the blood of the human doppelganger in their systems, Caroline made sure the ten humans were quiet and at peace from what was going to come next.

Klaus laughed victoriously, throwing his head back while blood spilt from the corner of his lips and his beautifully terrifying golden hybrid eyes glowing as the last werewolf dropped dead with Elena's blood in her system. His eyes returned to normal by the time they found Caroline and he strutted proudly towards her.

"My father will never know what hit him." He chuckled. "I have my army, Caroline. Father will never touch me. I will be safe."

She offered him a smile, but it almost appeared sorrowful to Klaus's perception. "I'm glad everything's turning out the way you wanted it to, Niklaus."

"Do you regret helping me, love? I understand if you do, many casualties have suffered this night."

"No, even for your own gain, you're giving them a life without the pain of breaking every bone in their body to shift into a werewolf. I suppose it is a win-win."

"I must ask you a question, Caroline. When we return to Mystic Falls, I need to know what side you will be standing on. Mine or theirs. You cannot stand on both sides anymore, one foot in and the other out. It is not fair to your friends and it's not fair to me."

"I know, I know I do. It's all I've been thinking about these past few days. What I fear the most is if I chose one, I'll lose the other and I don't know how I can handle any of the concluding result. But rest assured, I will make my decision by the time we return."

"Good and I promise I will not persuade or resent your final decision. After you chose your friends and I terminate my father, I will leave Mystic Falls as you've always wished. Perhaps gather more blood from the doppelganger before I depart."

"What makes you think I'm going to pick my friends, Niklaus?"

"Let's face it, love. I never stood a chance against them. I've seen you choose your friends, your close-knit family, over me. Nonetheless I never could blame you for doing so every time, I destroy everything I hold close and I push away the one person I never wanted to intimidate or oppose to. But as you said, it is too late to try anew with us and I accept that fact now. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

Her eyes became sad at the revelation of the sad truth in his eyes. "Klaus…"

"No, none of that, for this evening is an utter success. There is no room for despair. And I have you to thank for this triumph."

Caroline barely smiled. "You're welcome."

The sound of the newly transformed werewolves waking up tore the former lovers from their discussion and Klaus's elatedly grin from ear to ear appeared again, his dimples surfacing as well as Caroline's smile grew and she watched him walk to Alec, who was the first to reawaken. He knelt down next to the gasping and coughing hybrid.

"Ah, there you are mate. How do you feel?" Klaus asked.

"What'd you think? I feel like I just came back from the dead." Alec snapped.

He nodded. "Good, that's normal in this situation. But to prove to me that you possess the useful sire bond, I want you to tell me the ultimate truth. What is your actual name? It appears to me that you've been running away from a past you never wish to revisit."

"Now why would I tell you anything you ask from me?"

"Simply because I would rather not force this information out of you."

"Fine, if you must know, my birth name is Adam Dawson."

Caroline gasped heavily, the smile off her face no longer there as her memory travelled back to a time where she heard the same name before.

_"If you don't mind me asking, what does it say on your necklace? I've been trying to figure it out for a while now."_

_Felix looked down at his necklace and fingered the dog tags before looking back up at her. "Well, since I didn't follow my family's rules, I had myself emancipated after I graduated high school and began living on my own. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible, but I couldn't leave my little sister behind, so I still continue to visit her regularly. As for the necklaces, I had an older brother, Adam, who joined the military to escape from my controlling parents. He was eighteen when he signed up for it, and I was sixteen at the time, but he was killed in action by the time he was twenty-five. I have his name engraved on it with the year he was born in and the year he died…"_

No… it couldn't be happening. This couldn't be Felix's dead, 'not-so-dead', older brother. It just wasn't possible.

**live2write123: DUN DUN DUHHHHH! :O what an amazingly terrible way to return to this story. ANOTHER damn cliffhanger?! Sorry guys, but hopefully it won't takes me as long as to update as it has in the past few months. So yeah, Caroline participated in turning a bunch of werewolves into hybrids, little did she know that Felix's brother was alive all this time and now is a hybrid, the one thing Felix detests. I wonder how he's gonna react when they get back to the Mystic Falls ^.- :P anyway, once again, VERY sorry for the delay but I'm looking forward to updating the next chapter! :) **

**ps. "Alec Davis" aka Adam Dawson is portrayed by Tom Welling because him and Adam Gregory (the actor that portrays Felix's character) both have black hair and blue eyes :) which happen to be Dawson trait marks.**


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